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<br>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="line-height:107%"><span
style="font-size:10pt">PRESS RELEASE</span><br>
<span style="font-size:10pt">
For Immediate Release</span><br>
<br>
<span style="font-size:10pt">
25 April, 2017, Ottawa – Yesterday, two French
anti-terrorism investigative
judges ordered again the release of Dr. Hassan Diab, the
Canadian academic who
was extradited from Canada to France in November 2014. The
French judges found
that there is “consistent evidence” that Dr. Diab was in
Lebanon at the time of
the 1980 Paris bombing. This is the sixth release order for
Dr. Diab since last
May, and the second release order within three weeks. The
French Court of
Appeal overturned all previous release orders. The
prosecutor is appealing this
latest release order.</span><br>
<span style="font-size:10pt">
</span><br>
<span style="font-size:10pt">
William Bourdon, Apolline Cagnat and Amélie Lefebvre,
Hassan’s lawyers in
France, noted that “even though two weeks ago, the Court of
Appeal overturned
for the fifth time the decision to release Hassan Diab, the
investigating
judges have refused to renew Hassan’s expiring detention
warrant. As the
investigation progressed, the elements for charge that were
already very weak
to begin with have shrunk and are now close to nothing,
while the elements for
discharging Hassan are multiplying and are extremely
convincing. The
investigating judges are firm on the fact that it is not
possible in a state of
law to continue to detain Hassan.”</span><br>
<br>
<span style="font-size:10pt">
Don Bayne, Dr. Diab’s Canadian lawyer, stated that “the
French investigative
judges have repeatedly ordered Dr. Diab's release because of
"consistent
evidence" that he was studying for and writing exams in
Lebanon and was
not even in France at the time of the 1980 bombing – and
thus is completely
innocent. Dr. Diab’s continued incarceration is wholly and
manifestly unjust.
It is past time for this government to come to the aid of a
Canadian citizen,
to end this travesty of justice, to bring him home. ‘Prime
Minister Trudeau,
Minister Freeland, where are you when an innocent Canadian
needs you?’ ”</span><br>
<span style="font-size:10pt">
</span><br>
<span style="font-size:10pt">
When Dr. Diab was ordered released by the judge of freedom
and detention in May
2016, he spent ten days out on bail in Paris without
incident, before his
release order was overturned by the same panel of Court of
Appeal judges which
has repeatedly denied him bail.</span><br>
<br>
<span style="font-size:10pt">
Dr. Hassan Diab was extradited from Canada to France in
November 2014. The
Canadian extradition judge described the evidence against
Dr. Diab as
“illogical”, “very problematic”, and “convoluted”. However,
the Canadian judge
stated that the low threshold for evidence under Canada’s
extradition law left
him no choice but to commit Dr. Diab to extradition.</span><br>
<br>
<span style="font-size:10pt">
Roger Clark, the former Secretary General of Amnesty
International Canada,
remarked that “this travesty of justice continues solely for
political reasons,
there being no legal basis for Dr. Diab’s continuing
imprisonment. Rather than
acknowledge that an egregious error has been perpetrated,
French authorities
insist on maintaining their cruel charade against a
background of widespread
islamophobia and a fear of appearing weak on terrorism.
Canada must immediately
convey to the French Government the urgency of preventing
further distortion of
justice and of ensuring Hassan Diab's speedy return to his
home and family.”</span><br>
<br>
<span style="font-size:10pt">
Supporters of Dr. Diab have launched a </span><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-833"
target="_blank"
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt">Parliamentary
petition</a><span style="font-size:10pt"> calling upon the
Government of Canada to work towards the
immediate granting of bail to Hassan and securing his urgent
return to his
family and home in Canada. </span><br>
<br>
<b style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt">For
more information:</b><br>
<br>
<span style="font-size:10pt">Hassan Diab Support Committee</span><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:diabsupport@gmail.com"
target="_blank"
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt">diabsupport@gmail.com</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.justiceforhassandiab.org/" target="_blank"
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:10pt">http://www.justiceforhassandia<wbr>b.org</a><br>
<br>
</span></div>
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