Mohamed Harkat has been under a “security certificate” since Dec. 10, 2002. Federal Court Judge Simon Noel ruled Dec. 9, 2010, to uphold the security certificate against Mohamed as “reasonable”. A decision that a certificate is “reasonable” is a deportation order.




Watch the press conference which took place on Dec. 10, 2010 at the Delta Hotel in Ottawa.

Join human rights day vigils in Montreal and Ottawa today in support of justice for Mohamad Harkat. Details: http://justiceforharkat.com





Background



Mohamed Harkat, a refugee from Algeria, was arrested under a security certificate on Dec. 10, 2002. Since then he and his wife Sophie have been fighting for justice. In June 2006, Mohamed was released from prison into a severe form of house arrest. In February 2007, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the security certificate process as failing to meet constitutionally guaranteed human rights. A year later, the government issued new security certificates against Mohamed and four other Muslim men under a slightly modified, but still fundamentally unjust, process. In September 2009, most of Mohamad Harkat’s conditions were lifted.



Now that the certificate is upheld by the Federal Court, Harkat could be deported to Algeria. Mourad Ikhlef was deported to Algeria under a security certificate in 2003. Canadian officials handed him directly to the DRS, the notorious Algerian intelligence agency. He was held incommunicado and statements that he made under duress during that period of detention were later used to sentence him to prison. See Canadian Press, “Canada Delivers Deportee into arms of abusive Algerian secret police,” Dec. 16, 2009: [link].



In September 2009, the Federal Court threw out the security certificate against Montreal teacher Adil Charkaoui, after six and a half years of struggle. In March 2010, Charkaoui launched a lawsuit aimed at holding the government accountable for the injustices he and his family suffered. So far the government has refused to apologize or make reparations though he spent years in detention, lies were published about him, and his entire family punished.



For more information: www.adilinfo.org