- published: 04 Oct 2007
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Arar or Ar-Ar may refer to:
Maher Arar (Arabic: ماهر عرار) (born 1970) is a telecommunications engineer with dual Syrian and Canadian citizenship who has resided in Canada since 1987. Arar's story is frequently referred to as "extraordinary rendition" but the US government insisted it was a case of deportation.
Arar was detained during a layover at John F. Kennedy International Airport in September 2002 on his way home to Canada from a family vacation in Tunis. He was held without charges in solitary confinement in the United States for nearly two weeks, questioned, and denied meaningful access to a lawyer. The US government suspected him of being a member of Al Qaeda and deported him, not to Canada, his current home and the passport on which he was travelling, but to Syria, even though its government is known to use torture. He was detained in Syria for almost a year, during which time he was tortured, according to the findings of a commission of inquiry ordered by the Canadian government, until his release to Canada. The Syrian government later stated that Arar was "completely innocent." A Canadian commission publicly cleared Arar of any links to terrorism, and the government of Canada later settled out of court with Arar. He received C$10.5 million and Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally apologized to Arar for Canada's role in his "terrible ordeal".
Maher Arar speaks about his rendition and torture.
Fault Lines - Extra: Maher Arar - Full Interview
CNN profile of Maher Arar
Maher Arar statement on RCMP charges being laid against his torturer
Innocent Tortured Detainee Speaks of Bush's "Professionals"
As Syrian Colonel Faces Charges in Maher Arar Torture Case, Will U.S. Ever Apologize?
Maher Arar: JFK to Syria - No More Secrets
Supreme Court: Torture Victim Maher Arar Can Not Sue in U.S. Courts 2 of 2
Injustice of Maher Arar As Lecture To Gonzales by Leahy
Maher Arar
Canadian Citizen Maher Arar describes his rendition and subsequent torture at the behest of the U.S. Government in painful detail
Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/faultlines/ Follow up on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AJFaultLines Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/AJFaultLines Follow us on Tumblr: http://ajfaultlines.tumblr.com Maher Arar is the most well-known victim of the Bush administration's notorious policy of extraordinary rendition. In an exclusive interview, Arar talked to Josh Rushing. At Al Jazeera English, we focus on people and events that affect people's lives. We bring topics to light that often go under-reported, listening to all sides of the story and giving a 'voice to the voiceless.' Reaching more than 270 million households in over 140 countries across the globe, our viewers trust Al Jazeera English to keep them informed, inspired...
"Anderson Cooper 360" profiles Torture survivor Maher Arar and probes into the United States direct role in his rendiiton to and torture in Syria.
Monia Mazigh, the wife of Maher Arar reads a statement from her husband Maher Arar after the RCMP lay criminal charges against one of his Syrian torturers. To read more: http://www.cbc.ca/1.3211088 »»» Subscribe to CBC News to watch more videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/cbcnews?sub_confirmation=1 Connect with CBC News Online: For breaking news, video, audio and in-depth coverage: http://www.cbcnews.ca Find CBC News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbcnews Follow CBC News on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbcnews For breaking news on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBCAlerts Follow CBC News on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+CBCNews/posts Follow CBC News on Instagram: http://instagram.com/cbcnews Follow CBC News on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cbcnews// Follow CBC News on...
A Canadian detained, tortured, found innocent and released tells his (sanitized) story to Anderson Cooper.
Democracynow.org - In a move to hold government officials accountable for torture, Canada has charged Syrian Colonel George Salloum with allegedly torturing Canadian engineer Maher Arar. In 2002, Arar was kidnapped by U.S. authorities during a layover at JFK Airport and then sent to his native Syria, where he was tortured and interrogated in a tiny underground cell. He was held for nearly a year. This is the first-ever criminal charge of torture brought by Canada against a foreign government official for acts committed abroad. Canada’s decision to pursue torture charges in Arar’s case may open the door to further such prosecutions, including of U.S. government officials. In 2007, Arar received a $10 million settlement from the Canadian government. The United States has yet to apologize to ...
The True Story of innocent Canadian Citizen Maher Arar, who was sent by the Bush Administration to Syria where he was torture for nearly a year.Learn more at http://ccrjustice.org/arar
Supreme Court: Torture and Rendition Victim Maher Arar Can Not Sue in U.S. Courts In a major setback for holding U.S. officials accountable for rendition and torture, the Supreme Court has rejected Arar's lawsuit against the U.S. government. Arar was seized at New York's Kennedy Airport in 2002 on a stopover from a vacation abroad. Instead of allowing him to return home to Canada, Arar was sent to his native Syria, where he was tortured and interrogated in a tiny underground cell for nearly a year. Just after the Court's decision was announced, Arar revealed a major new development: Canada's federal law enforcement agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is conducting a criminal investigation into U.S. and Syrian officials for their role in Arar's rendition and torture. We speak to Mahe...
In a Dec., 2008 editorial the NY Times states: A "notorious case is being heard on Tuesday by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in Manhattan. It involves Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian with no ties to terrorism who became a victim of the Bush teams lawless policy of 'extraordinary rendition' — the outsourcing of interrogations to foreign governments known to torture prisoners." http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/opinion/08mon1.html From 2007, this clip is the full sequence on the issue with Gonzales where Sen. Leahy gives him a well deserved lecture. A breath of fresh air. With a slight surprise I added at the very end.
Maher Arar is a 34-year-old wireless technology consultant. He was born in Syria and came to Canada with his family at the age of 17. He became a Canadian citizen in 1991. On Sept. 26, 2002, while in transit in New York's JFK airport when returning home from a vacation, Arar was detained by US officials and interrogated about alleged links to al-Qaeda. Twelve days later, he was chained, shackled and flown to Syria, where he was held in a tiny "grave-like" cell for ten months and ten days before he was moved to a better cell in a different prison. In Syria, he was beaten, tortured and forced to make a false confession. The Arar Commission released its official report on Maher Arar's case on September 18, 2006. Commissioner Dennis O'Connor cleared Maher of all terrorism allegations, and f...