Rendition to Torture - The Case of Maher Arar
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
On October 18, 2006, Maria LaHood, an Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights spoke about her work on the case of Maher Arar. Mr. Arar is a Syrian born Canadian citizen who was arrested by U.S. officials while in transit at JFK Airport in New York in September 2002. He was intensively interrogated and then deported to Syria, where he endured 10 months of torture at the hands of Syrian intelligence officials because the government labeled him a member of Al Qaeda. Upon his return to Canada, Mr. Arar was never charged with any crime; nor has he been charged with any crime by the United States. In doing this, the U.S. has violated the International Convention Against Torture, of which it is a signatory. Professor Rick Wilson will provide background on the International Convention Against Torture and rendition. For more information contact the National Lawyers Guild at 202-725-2566 or email nlg@wcl.american.edu.
