- An earlier article discussed the case of Canadian Professor
Denis Rancourt. In March 2009, the University of Ottawa unjustly fired
him for heroically supporting Palestinian liberation and justice. Access
it through the following link:
-
- http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/04/targeting-academic-and-speech-freedoms.html
-
- His "(a)rticles and entries about activist teaching
and radical pedagogy" can be followed daily on his blog site, accessed
as follows:
-
- http://activistteacher.blogspot.com/
-
- Depending on how events unfold, the case of former University
of Ottawa and Carleton University Professor Hassan Diab is more disturbing
and shocking. A November 13, 2008 Ottawa Citizen article explained, headlining:
-
- "Ottawa university instructor arrested in 1980 blast
at Paris synagogue," saying:
-
- The October 3, 1980 Union Liberale Israelite de France
incident killed four, injured dozens, and was followed by similar attacks
in Vienna, Antwerp, Belgium, and elsewhere.
-
- On November 13, 2008, Diab "was arrested by the
RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) at Gatineau residence....as he was
getting dressed, placed in custody at the RCMP's A division," and
for over four months, denied bail, his lawyer, Rene Duval, said at the
time. He now lives under virtual house arrest, wears a GPS electronic ankle
monitor, and can only leave home accompanied by one of five sureties who
posted his $250,000 + bond.
-
- His apprehension followed an international arrest warrant
issued by two French judges earlier in November, "believed to be the
first such (instance) for (alleged) terrorism ever executed in Canada."
-
- With no corroborating evidence, France's Le Figaro newspaper
cited unnamed 2007 sources, saying Diab led "the small commando team
responsible for the attack and had asked Canada for assistance with their
investigation."
-
- In mid-November 2008, the French magazine L'Express said
French police, magistrates and intelligence officers were in Canada, "try(ing)
to arrange Mr. Diab's extradition to France. The French warrant....accuse(d)
him of making and planting the bomb, according to" a Reuters report.
-
- At the time, Diab explained through his lawyer that he
had no involvement in the incident. "Most definitely he's innocent,"
he said. "He didn't even set foot in France in 1980. At the time,
he was studying sociology at the University of Lebanon." A former
Canadian Human Rights Commission senior litigator, Duval said Diab is accused
of "driv(ing) the motorbike that eventually exploded."
-
- Moreover, he has no criminal record and was never involved
with the accused group or other militant organizations. In fact, he was
unaware of the bombing until a Le Figaro reporter told him at the University
of Ottawa.
-
- In October 2007, Diab told Le Figaro:
-
- "I am a victim of mistaken identity not based on
anything" but unjust conjecture. "I have never belonged to a
Palestinian organization, nor have I been militant politically. Because
of such mistaken identities, my travel in Canada was often affected."
-
- He also explained how often he's mistaken for others
with the same name, adding:
-
- "Since (9/11), we know that files are created on
nothing, particularly if you are a member of a minority, and that innocent
people will admit to anything if they are put under pressure."
-
- After the news broke, he began noticing unidentified
(RCMP) agents following him, and once someone tried breaking into his home.
Despite notifying Ottawa police, intimidation and intrusive surveillance
persisted. Nonetheless, at the time, he continued his normal activities,
including teaching, but not for long.
-
- Ahead of his first court hearing, Duval explained:
-
- "They're going to be multiplying security measures,
which are absolutely unwarranted and uncalled for. I suspect that will
be the case. They like to make it a big deal. The word terrorist (frightens)
a lot of people. And governments in Canada, France or (elsewhere), they
like to show their muscle in those matters," even with no evidence
against innocent victims. Too often, in fact, they're judged guilty by
accusation.
-
- Diab was Professor of Sociology at the University of
Ottawa and Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. A Lebanese national
with dual citizenship, he first taught at the American University of Beirut,
later earning his doctorate at Syracuse University, New York.
-
- His Background and Case
-
- The web site Justice for Hassan Diab.org can be accessed
through the following link for detailed information about him and his case:
-
- http://www.justiceforhassandiab.org/about
-
- Until October 2007, he "enjoyed and engaged in a
productive public life, including teaching, publishing research, and traveling
internationally." Now he's falsely accused of the 1980 Paris synagogue
bombing. In fact, he's innocent of all charges, is peace-loving, and not
anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish, or against any other religion or ethnicity.
-
- On November 8, 2010, he released the following statement:
-
- "I am innocent of the charges against me. I condemn
all ethnically, racially, and religiously motivated violence. Since Sept.
11, 2001, the presumption of innocence and other core values of our legal
system have eroded, especially for people from particular minority backgrounds.
I hope this extradition hearing will end the witch-hunt atmosphere I have
been living under for the past three years, and that no one else will have
to endure the burden of false, unfounded accusations. I also wish to thank
the many people and groups across Canada who have signed a statement in
my support."
-
- Nonetheless, both the University of Ottawa and Carleton
University terminated him, violating his presumption of innocence unless
proved guilty, and the "responsibility of a university to protect
its autonomy (and academic freedom) from inappropriate political pressure."
As a result, Diab is unemployed, and delay in resolving his case adds "thousands
of dollars to his legal expenses."
-
- His web site also explains the following:
-
- -- alleged evidence against him is "bald, unsourced
and conclusory intelligence information" that's inadmissible in Canadian
criminal courts; and
-
- -- its reliability is very suspect, yet his defense can't
"confront or cross-examine witnesses," so is unable to "demonstrate
weaknesses or inaccuracies" nor "argue against false claims."
-
- As a result, he's "in a double-bind," unable
to challenge his accusers because an extradition case isn't a trial. Moreover,
in France, he'll face unsubstantiated charges based on secret intelligence,
again severely restricting his ability to refute it. In fact, any defense
effort "to cross-examine witnesses or (present) exonerating evidence
will be looked upon unfavorably by the court" because "neither
Canadian nor French judges and prosecutors know the sources of the intelligence
information" so can't examine their credibility or lack thereof.
-
- In other words, he'll be hung out to dry under a rigged
process to convict, despite his innocence. As a result, human rights and
other groups criticized France "for violating internationally recognized
due process standards and for running unfair trials."
-
- It's believed alleged evidence in his case comes from
torture-extracted confessions of suspects in Middle East custody, saying
anything to stop pain and help improve their own status. Various other
wrongfully accused victims have been targeted the same way, authorities
knowing alleged evidence against them was false but used it anyway.
-
- Nonetheless, Canada's Crown Attorney seems willing to
accept dubious secret intelligence to extradite an innocent Canadian citizen.
If so, a dangerous legal precedent will be established based on unreliable,
uncorroborated, and likely spurious evidence manipulated to convict.
-
- In December 2009, Amnesty International lawyer Paul Champ
said:
-
- "If the Canadian government and the French government
are able to rely on this kind of intelligence information to support an
extradition, I think it's yet another step in the erosion of civil liberties
that we've been familiar with in Canada and in other countries for a very
long time."
-
- In fact, far too long, so-called Western and other democracies,
including Canada, France, Israel and America, are de facto police states,
regularly convicting innocent victims by accusations, especially Muslims
for their faith, ethnicity, prominence, activism, and at times charitable
giving because they care.
-
- As a result, Hassan Diab is one of many needing broad
support to free him from this unprincipled burden so he can resume a normal
life.
-
- Recent Ottawa Citizen Articles on His Case
-
- On November 24, 2010, writer Andrew Seymour headlined,
"Terrorism evidence against former Ottawa professor 'unreliable,'
court hears," saying:
-
- University of Toronto Law Professor and anti-terrorism
expert Kent Roach testified it was "dangerous" to use alleged
30-year old intelligence, calling it "unsourced, uncircumstanced,"
and/or manipulated to benefit prosecutorial accusations. He added that
aspects of this case set off "alarm bells" based on suspect intelligence
that Diab either used his own passport to enter France through Spain or
surreptitiously with a fake one, saying:
-
- "It would suggest to me the intelligence record
is unreliable because it is malleable enough to fit any or both scenarios.
Because it is not sourced, because it is not circumstanced, it is very
difficult to go behind their suppositions and to challenge their intelligence,"
that may, in fact, be fake. He added that:
-
- "It is easy to assert someone is a member of a terrorist
organization. It is an entirely different matter to prove it through evidence....At
first glance you say, 'This is terrible, this is very, very specific,'
but there's nothing there to substantiate it."
-
- Accusing French authorities of "boot-strapping,"
Roach said they've linked one unreliable piece of intelligence to another,
"cherry picking" what they want, ignoring what can help Diab
to construct a case basely solely from whole cloth, not verifiable facts.
-
- On January 5, 2011, Chris Cobb headlined, "Expert
rips into handwriting evidence," saying:
-
- During Diab's January 4 extradition hearing, "(a)
British handwriting expert (Robert Radley) ripped into French evidence,
saying its main conclusions are 'frankly absurd - totally misguided and
totally incorrect.' I find this whole (analysis) unacceptable and not what
I would expect from a trained, competent expert."
-
- At the same, French expert Ann Bisotti called her analysis
the case's "smoking gun," claiming a false name on a Paris hotel
registration card was in Diab's handwriting by comparing it to his 15-year
later immigration paper signatures.
-
- Defense lawyer Donald Bayne used three experts to refute
Bisotti's analysis, calling it "fatally flawed," showing ignorance
of international professional standards. Radley's "blistering criticism"
was especially damning, given his over three decade European and other
international experience and familiarity with the European Network of Forensic
Handwriting Experts (ENFHEX). He said Bisotti's methodology contradicted
its standards, thus invalidating her conclusion, then added:
-
- "In over 30 years dealing with casework and having
to produce critiques on literally hundreds of police laboratory reports,
I have never had to express criticism in such robust terms."
-
- Hired by French authorities to prove the alleged authenticity
of Diab's hotel registry signature, Bisotti apparently concluded what her
client wanted to hear, no matter how unjustifiably false.
-
- On February 19, Andrew Seymour headlined, "Diab
loses evidence fight," saying:
-
- Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Maranger "decided
to allow handwriting evidence....against" him despite saying:
-
- "When all is said and done, I find the evidence
amounted to very strong competing inferences which demonstrate some serious
weaknesses in the Bisotti report, but in truth fell short of a finding
of manifest unreliability. While I find (her) report very problematic,
very confusing, with conclusions that are suspect, I cannot say that it
should be rejected out of hand based on the expert evidence."
-
- Clearly unidentified pressure on him was exerted, evidenced
by his agreeing with Diab's lawyer's "forceful and compelling"
arguments (that) flawed methodology results in manifestly unreliable conclusions."
-
- Yet he allowed them anyway, dealing Diab a serious blow.
Expressing muted outrage, Donald Bayne noted special concern, saying France
doesn't extradite its nationals, "but Canada will (do it) on unreliable
evidence because the test for unreliability is so high no one can meet
it." He added that if Diab is ordered extradited, he'll appeal to
Canada's Supreme Court, hoping there to get justice.
-
- On March 8, Chris Cobb headlined, "Crown wraps up
case against Diab," saying:
-
- Prosecutor Claude LeFrancois alleged "Diab belonged
to an international anti-Semitic terrorist organization embroiled in a
violent underworld of lies and deception." He named the Popular Front
for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a heroic resistance group opposing
Israel's illegal occupation, struggling for Palestinian liberation.
-
- Of course, as explained above, Diab, maintains his innocence
on all charges, asserts his egalitarian views, and strongly denies membership
or participation in any resistance or militant group.
-
- On March 9, Chris Cobb headlined, "No proven link
to Diab, lawyer argues," saying:
-
- Defense lawyer Bayne "launched a blistering attack
(on) the French extradition evidence against" Diab, urging Justice
Maranger to dismiss all charges that would be inadmissible in Canadian
criminal proceedings.
-
- In fact, the entire case against him is fabricated. No
corroborating evidence links him to the synagogue bombing or that he belonged
to any anti-Israeli group. However, unlike criminal proceeding requiring
proof beyond a shadow of a doubt, extradition hearings only need show possible
alleged evidence to warrant sending a Canadian citizen abroad to stand
trial. In this case, though entirely innocent, to France where he'll be
hung out to dry unjustly.
-
- On March 10, Chris Cobb headlined, "Judge to rule
in June on Diab extradition," saying:
-
- Justice Maranger said he'll issue his decision on or
about June 8, suggesting he'll "give relatively or no weight to supporting
circumstantial evidence offered by the French."
-
- Supportive Organizations for Diab
-
- Many have been outspoken on his behalf, including the
Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), expressing grave concern
about "the nature of the information being presented on behalf of
France to try to justify its request."
-
- The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) called
alleged evidence against Diab "manifestly unreliable," compromising
his "section 7 Charter rights to life, liberty and security...."
-
- The Council on American-Islamic Relations Canada (CAIR
CAN) asked "all Canadians to urge the Minister of Justice to intervene"
on Diab's behalf to prevent likely gross injustice against him otherwise.
-
- On November 23, 2010, the International Civil Liberties
Monitoring Group (ICLMG) wrote Canada's Minister of Justice and Attorney
General Robert Nicholson calling possible torture-extracted evidence against
him unreliable. "As such, it should not be admitted into nor relied
upon in a Canadian extradition hearing," adding:
-
- "We thus (urge an immediate) halt (to) extradition
proceedings against Dr. Diab, unless and until reliable evidence"
supports France's request. "(U)njust and oppressive extradition orders"
must straightaway be denied.
-
- Friends of Hassan Diab maintain a French and English
language blog site on his behalf, accessed through the following link:
-
- http://friendsofhassandiab.blogspot.com/
-
- It has information on fundraisers, appeals for justice,
as well as articles and other supportive information.
-
- Numerous other groups signed a "Justice for Hassan
Diab" statement, accessed below:
-
- http://www.justiceforhassandiab.org/
-
- Anyone can join them by emailing diabsupport@gmail.com,
saying you wish to sign.
-
- Having exhausted his personal savings and unemployed,
Diab also needs financial help for his "very expensive legal defense,"
besides a $2,000 per month GPS monitoring device cost. His Justice for
Hassan Diab.org site has information on how to contribute.
-
- He's a "victim of wrongful accusation" who'll
be doubly denied justice if Canada extradites him to France to face proceedings
rigged to convict and likely imprison him for life.
-
- A Final Comment
-
- Amid daily bad news, April 26 brought renewed hope to
Mumia Abu-Jamal, wrongly sentenced to death for a 1981 murder he didn't
commit.
-
- Linn Washington Jr. explained, headlining "3rd Circuit
Appeal Ruling Favoring Abu-Jamal Smacks Down US Supreme Court," saying:
-
- The court upheld its over two year ago ruling, "siding
with a federal district court judge who, back in 2001, had set aside Abu-Jamal's
death penalty after determining" 1982 trial irregularities. The court
complied with a Supreme Court ordered reexamination of its 2009 decision
by affirming it a second time.
-
- Mumia's lead attorney, Professor Judith Ritter, said:
-
- "Each of the four federal judges (reviewing his
case) found his death sentence to be unconstitutional. The Third Circuit's
most recent opinion reflects a detailed analysis demonstrating that their
unanimous decision is well-supported by Supreme Court precedent. We believe
this carefully reasoned analysis will stand."
-
- If so, it'll be a small victory amid a tsunami of social,
economic and political injustice. In fact, a scandalous amount is caused
by America at home and abroad, the self-proclaimed democratic values champion,
failing dismally to back its rhetoric with principled policies on virtually
all major issues mattering most. Increasingly, Canada hardly fares better.
-
- Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com
and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the
Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays
at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs
are archived for easy listening.
-
- http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.
|
