Vol. 72/No. 47      December 1, 2008

He is one of five Muslim men jailed for years and threatened with deportation under a federal immigration “security certificate.” This legislation allows indefinite detention of “terror suspects” who don’t hold Canadian citizenship.

“Today it’s me, tomorrow it could be you,” Charkaoui told 60 students at an October 27 public forum at McGill University. Currently released on bail under stringent conditions, Charkaoui showed the audience the GPS tracking bracelet he is forced to wear.

Charkaoui has lived in Canada since emigrating from Morocco in 1995. In May 2003 he was arrested on his way to the University of Montreal where he was studying for a master’s degree. With great media fanfare he was declared a threat to national security and jailed for almost two years, while the government began proceedings to deport him.

In February 2005, a public campaign led by his family resulted in his release on bail. But he is still threatened with deportation.

“The Canadian Security Intelligence Service applied its profile of an al-Qaeda sleeper agent to me,” he said. “If you are an Arab, young, married with kids, have a university degree, and have traveled, you fit its profile.”

“CSIS has never asked me about what I did, only about what I think,” he said.

Charkaoui has denied any connection with terrorists and has demanded he face specific charges and be given a fair trial. Under the security-certificate section of the immigration law, no charges are required and all proceedings are held in secret. Charkaoui and the other men facing deportation do not have the right to see any of the “evidence” used to back up the certificate.

“I have learned that behind the beautiful phrases about Canada and Canadian justice there is hypocrisy,” he said. “The racial profiling used against me is the same mentality used by police in Montreal North.” A Latino youth was shot and killed by police there recently, triggering community protests and police repression.

Charkaoui reported he has the support of the Quebec Federation of Labor, Confederation of National Trade Unions, several New Democratic Party and Bloc Québécois members of Parliament, and civil liberties organizations.

He urged those present to get out the truth about his fight and the fight to abolish the security-certificate law. For more information, visit www.adilinfo.org.
 
 
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