[Fdu] Canadian academic to have extradition appeal hearing

[Cynthia Wright]

What:   Appeal of Dr. Hassan Diab's extradition decision 
When:  Monday-Tuesday, November 4-5, 2013, starting at 10:00 AM
Where: Courtroom #2, 361 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario

Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Q8zTp 
TTC: St Patrick station on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line 

You can stay for the day or come and go whenever you wish. 
 
If you can come only one day, please prioritize Monday. However, we would love to see a show of support both days. 
 
Please come out to show solidarity with Dr. Hassan Diab! Join us at the Court of Appeal for Ontario, on Monday November 4 at 10:00 AM, for a crucial hearing regarding Canada's unjust extradition law. Take a stand against extradition based on secret intelligence and a single handwriting analysis report that has been discredited and condemned in Court.

Amnesty International, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA), and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) have filed interventions with the Court expressing their deep concerns about Hassan’s case. 
 
Let's pack the courtroom and show our concern about the erosion of the rights of Canadians under the extradition law. 
 
Please help us circulate this announcement widely! 
 
For information about transportation from Ottawa to Toronto , contact:
Ria Heynen 
r-j.heynen at bell.net 
Phone: (613) 828-8468
 
For general information, contact: 
Don Pratt 
diabsupport at gmail.com
Phone: (650) 576-5616 
 
 
Background 
 
“My life has been turned upside down because of unfounded allegations and suspicions. 
I am innocent of the accusations against me. 
I have never engaged in terrorism. I am not an anti-Semite. 
I have always been opposed to bigotry and violence.” 

Dr. Hassan Diab, Ottawa , Canada 
 
Dr. Hassan Diab is a Canadian academic of Lebanese descent who is facing extradition to France for questioning regarding an attack near a Paris synagogue in 1980. Hassan has never been charged with any crime, yet since 2008 he has either been imprisoned or living under very strict bail conditions that include paying $2,000 per month for a GPS device he is required to wear at all times.

The case against Hassan is anchored in secret intelligence from unknown sources. The intelligence cannot be tested or challenged in a court of law and carries the real risk of being derived from torture.

In 2011, a Canadian judge decided to commit Dr. Diab to extradition based solely on a handwriting analysis report that alleges that Hassan’s handwriting matches five words on a Paris hotel registration card from 1980. Five internationally renowned experts testified that the report is based on fundamentally flawed methodology and is totally absurd, unscientific, and biased. The experts pointed out that the evidence actually points away from Hassan. The extradition judge himself described the handwriting analysis report as “very problematic”, “very confusing”, “convoluted”, and with “conclusions that are suspect”. Yet the judge ruled that he is required under Ontario’s interpretation of Canada’s extradition law to commit Dr. Diab for extradition.

In the extradition proceedings, Hassan was prevented from introducing evidence that shows that his palm prints do not match those of the suspect. Hassan has repeatedly affirmed that he is willing to answer questions from French authorities in Canada. He has also offered to take a lie detector test, but there has been no response to both offers. 

Hassan’s case points to glaring problems with Canada’s extradition law. In extradition cases, the Charter rights of the person sought are severely compromised. Canadian standards of evidence do not apply. The standard for extradition is so low that Canada hands people over to other countries based on evidence that is not acceptable in Canadian courts. Canada has extradition treaties with countries that allow secret intelligence, including intelligence that may have been the product of torture, to be used as evidence at trial. 


Articles


  a.. “Human rights groups sound alarm over Diab extradition evidence”, Ottawa Citizen, July 3, 2013
  http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/8612960/story.html
  b.. “The Extradition Case of Dr. Hassan Diab”, Canadian Dimension, October 15, 2013
  http://canadiandimension.com/articles/5586/

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Hassan Diab Support Committee
Web: http://www.justiceforhassandiab.org
Email: diabsupport at gmail.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofhassandiab
Twitter: http://twitter.com/friendsofhdiab
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