http://kerrypither.com author • advocate • commentator Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:57:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 http://kerrypither.com/2010/09/journal-of-prisoners-on-prisons-review-of-dark-days/ http://kerrypither.com/2010/09/journal-of-prisoners-on-prisons-review-of-dark-days/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:57:56 +0000 kerry http://kerrypither.com/?p=590 Dark Days for the academic journal for which he is a co-managing editor -- the Journal of Prisoners on Prisons (Volume 19, Number 2). That review is now available on line here.]]> http://kerrypither.com/2010/09/journal-of-prisoners-on-prisons-review-of-dark-days/feed/ 0 http://kerrypither.com/2010/08/birthday-wishes-for-haitham-al-maleh/ http://kerrypither.com/2010/08/birthday-wishes-for-haitham-al-maleh/#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:16:24 +0000 kerry http://kerrypither.com/?p=580 August 13 report from Human Rights Watch, and what the International Federation for Human Rights and Amnesty International had to say about al-Maleh's sentence. For who to write to where, see this urgent action from Amnesty International. ]]> http://kerrypither.com/2010/08/birthday-wishes-for-haitham-al-maleh/feed/ 0 http://kerrypither.com/2010/06/found-archived-arar-inquiry-website/ http://kerrypither.com/2010/06/found-archived-arar-inquiry-website/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:41:20 +0000 kerry http://kerrypither.com/?p=577 here.]]> http://kerrypither.com/2010/06/found-archived-arar-inquiry-website/feed/ 0 http://kerrypither.com/2010/06/c-38-falls-short-on-rcmp-oversight/ http://kerrypither.com/2010/06/c-38-falls-short-on-rcmp-oversight/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:22:45 +0000 kerry http://kerrypither.com/?p=572 Globe and Mail editorial points out, the new Royal Canadian Mounted Police Review and Complaints Commission created by Act C-38 falls far short of what Arar Inquiry Commissioner Dennis O'Connor recommended back in December 2006. Note to readers: I am looking into why the Arar Commission's web site seems to be no longer available on the National Archives site. In the meantime, click here for a pdf of the Arar Commission's report and recommendations on oversight.]]> http://kerrypither.com/2010/06/c-38-falls-short-on-rcmp-oversight/feed/ 0 http://kerrypither.com/2010/06/if-only-obama-was-all-so-many-hoped-he-would-be/ http://kerrypither.com/2010/06/if-only-obama-was-all-so-many-hoped-he-would-be/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:59:50 +0000 kerry http://kerrypither.com/?p=567 New York Times on the day Obama came to Canada -- because the case was before the courts. If he were, he'd read today's decision by the US Supreme Court and immediately move to ensure his administration public takes responsibility for its role in sending Arar to be tortured, and invite him to the White House for a formal and public in-person apology. And if he were, he'd use the occasion to announce the launch of a full-scale independent and public inquiry into all the other Arars -- into the role the CIA and FBI and other US agencies have been, and still are playing, in the rendition, detention and torture of so many others since 9/11. I, for one, won't be holding my breath.]]> http://kerrypither.com/2010/06/if-only-obama-was-all-so-many-hoped-he-would-be/feed/ 0 http://kerrypither.com/2010/06/will-the-rcmps-new-oversight-body-have-any-teeth-lets-hope-so/ http://kerrypither.com/2010/06/will-the-rcmps-new-oversight-body-have-any-teeth-lets-hope-so/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:30:54 +0000 kerry http://kerrypither.com/?p=561 testifying before the standing committee on public safety seven years later. Let's hope this legislation doesn't ignore the Arar Inquiry's recommendations made in December 2006, and supported by a recent public safety committee report, which itself won majority support in a House of Commons vote in December last year. And lets hope this is just a first step, and that we see follow up on the Arar Commission's call for an integrated review mechanism for all the agencies engaged in national security work. ]]> http://kerrypither.com/2010/06/will-the-rcmps-new-oversight-body-have-any-teeth-lets-hope-so/feed/ 0 http://kerrypither.com/2010/03/new-review-mechanism-for-the-rcmp/ http://kerrypither.com/2010/03/new-review-mechanism-for-the-rcmp/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:36:48 +0000 kerry http://kerrypither.com/?p=556 here), and all three opposition parties have all backed the model called for by the Arar Inquiry: The creation of an integrated system of review with the capacity to review the work of the multitude of agencies involved in national security investigations. Right now, the Canadian Border Services Agency, and Transport Canada have no effective review process. Existing review mechanisms cannot look beyond the agencies they are responsible for -- the Security and Intelligence Review Committee, for example, cannot look beyond CSIS, and the RCMP Complaints Commission can't look beyond the RCMP. The Arar Inquiry recognized that we need a body that can essentially do what it did -- look in an integrated way at the many agencies involved in national security work. The Arar Inquiry released its recommendations in December 2006 -- more than three years ago. The government has since stalled on implementing that recommendation, saying it's waiting for Justice John Major's report from the Air India inquiry. This simply doesn't make sense. Two commissions of inquiry into much more recent scandals -- first the Arar Inquiry, then the Iacobucci Inquiry -- have determined that Canadian agencies played a role in the detention and torture of Canadian citizens. More cases, such as that of Abousfian Abdelrazik, have emerged since. Now, more than nine years after the 9/11 attacks, we have less checks and balances in place, national security agencies have more powers, and anyone needing answers like these men did would have to call for another public inquiry. Maher Arar, Ahmad El Maati, Abdullah Almalki and Muayyed Nureddin had the courage to stand up to and demand answers from Canada's intelligence agencies -- perhaps Prime Minister Harper can look to their example, and find the courage to stand up to them too.]]> http://kerrypither.com/2010/03/new-review-mechanism-for-the-rcmp/feed/ 0 http://kerrypither.com/2010/03/justice-iacobucci-appointed-to-afghan-file/ http://kerrypither.com/2010/03/justice-iacobucci-appointed-to-afghan-file/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:25:26 +0000 kerry http://kerrypither.com/?p=549 The “Internal Inquiry” process: Fostering a culture of impunity [pdf].]]> http://kerrypither.com/2010/03/justice-iacobucci-appointed-to-afghan-file/feed/ 0 http://kerrypither.com/2010/02/iacobucci-inquiry-reveals-new-ways-that-csis-contributed-to-the-torture-of-canadian-ahmad-el-maati-in-egypt/ http://kerrypither.com/2010/02/iacobucci-inquiry-reveals-new-ways-that-csis-contributed-to-the-torture-of-canadian-ahmad-el-maati-in-egypt/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:15:12 +0000 kerry http://kerrypither.com/?p=542 newly released information says that in June 2002, CSIS agents sent a message to Egyptian authorities trying to confirm that El Maati was in detention there, and telling them, among other things not disclosed, that he was involved in a plan to commit a terrorist act in Canada. Justice Iacobucci has already confirmed that that this allegation was not based on evidence, but on an alleged “confession” obtained earlier from Syrian authorities – a “confession” that Iacobucci says CSIS should have known was likely the product of torture.]]> http://kerrypither.com/2010/02/iacobucci-inquiry-reveals-new-ways-that-csis-contributed-to-the-torture-of-canadian-ahmad-el-maati-in-egypt/feed/ 0 http://kerrypither.com/2010/02/maher-arar-launches-on-line-magazine/ http://kerrypither.com/2010/02/maher-arar-launches-on-line-magazine/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:50:53 +0000 kerry http://kerrypither.com/?p=537 http://kerrypither.com/2010/02/maher-arar-launches-on-line-magazine/feed/ 0