U.S. claims Arar suit a risk to national security

[sarahlee]

MICHELLE SHEPHARD
STAFF REPORTER
<snip>
Invoking the rarely used "state secrets privilege," U.S. Department of Justice lawyers filed a motion with the New York eastern district court this week, stating that the release of any information concerning the U.S.'s involvement in Arar's deportation to Syria could jeopardize "intelligence, foreign policy and national security interests of the United States."

Lawyers with New York's Centre for Constitutional Rights, who filed the lawsuit on Arar's behalf a year ago, said the government is abusing claims of national security in order to avoid a review of its policies and handling of terrorism suspects.
<snip>

Arar was detained by immigration officials at New York's JFK airport on Sept. 26, 2002, and subsequently held as a terrorism suspect in a Brooklyn jail, where he says he repeatedly asked to be sent back to Canada. On Oct. 8 he was flown on a private jet to Syria, via Jordan. Arar says he was tortured and held without charges for a year before returning to Canada.

The Centre for Constitutional Rights launched Arar's lawsuit last January alleging that former attorney-general John Ashcroft, former homeland security secretary Tom Ridge and other officials within President George W. Bush's administration knew Arar would be tortured when he was deported. Arar alleges he was a victim of the government's controversial policy of "extraordinary rendition," where American authorities can circumvent their own restraints on interrogations by sending suspects to countries that employ harsh tactics.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1106349012240

Read a chilling and detailed account of his experience:
. http://www.maherarar.ca/mahers%20story.php

More info here:
http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/maher_arar/index.html

What can you do?

· Contact The Center for Constitutional Rights and offer your support. Ask them what you can do to help.
http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/home.asp
· Contact your house and senate representatives. Remind them that this is another reason Gonzales cannot be confirmed.
· Talk to people you know about this story. Encourage them to get involved as well.

[AllyCat]

1. What are they hiding?

So far, they haven't really done anything but deport our terr'ist prisoners. Are they being reprogrammed ala Clockwork Orange and sent back to their countries to sin no more? Or is it more like Telefon where they will be activated into service with a phone call saying Bush is Supreme Leader?