"Let the justice system do its work" say teachers, students, labour, faith, human rights and civil liberties organizations

21 June 2006

Government, political leaders, law enforcement and security agencies and the media must let the justice system do its work, say national organizations representing teachers, students, labour and faith communities, and human rights and civil liberties groups.

In a joint statement released today, the organizations say due process, the presumption of innocence and transparency must prevail in the cases of 17 Toronto-area men recently charged with terrorism-related offences.

"National security is about safeguarding our democracy, and that requires safeguarding the civil liberties that make us a democracy," said James Turk, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers.

"We have come together to call on government, political leaders, law enforcement and security agencies and media to stop the sensationalism, discrimination, inappropriate commentary and leaks," said Turk. "Otherwise we risk compromising due process and fair trials and convicting innocents or letting the guilty go free."

"Project Thread, the Maher Arar case, and the ongoing use of the deeply flawed and highly secretive security certificate process have fueled skepticism about how our security and law enforcement agencies work and their respect for the justice system and the rule of law," said Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.

"The secret evidence and hearings used in the past have only compounded the problem," said Neve. "This time, transparency must prevail -- the accused have a right to fair trials, and the public has a right to know the true nature of the threat."

"Due process for the accused must also be complemented by full respect by officials, the media and the public for Muslim communities and the Islamic faith," said Roch Tassé, coordinator of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group. "The dehumanizing and otherwise discriminatory language and images that have been used to depict these communities must stop, or we are retreating to a very dark age indeed."

The statement was released by Amnesty International Canada, the Canadian Association of University Teachers, the Canadian Federation of Students, the Canadian Labour Congress, the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group and Kairos: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives.

Let the justice system do its work

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It is encouraging that authorities are using the criminal justice system to deal with the 17 Toronto men recently charged with terrorist-related offences. Now it is critically important that that system be allowed to do its work.

Past anti-terrorism cases have circumvented the criminal justice system or undermined human rights and civil liberties. Project Thread saw at least 22 men wrongly accused of terrorist ties. Serious questions remain unanswered about Canadian involvement in the overseas detention and torture of Canadian citizens Maher Arar, Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and Muayyed Nureddin. The government continues to use the highly criticized and deeply flawed immigration security certificate process.

Public confidence in counter-terrorism efforts by law enforcement and security agencies, and their commitment to the rule of law, has been undermined. This time, we must ensure that the rule of law prevails and rebuild public confidence - and public security - with transparency, due process and regard for human rights and civil liberties.

We must ensure transparency prevails

Secrecy has thwarted fair trial rights in immigration security certificate cases, and has denied public access to proceedings, meant to be open and accessible, at the Commission of Inquiry into the case of Maher Arar. This time, transparency must prevail - the accused have a right to a fair trial and the public has a right to know the true nature of the extent of the threat. The extraordinary powers granted by the Anti-terrorism Act, such as secret hearings and secret evidence, must not be used in these cases.

We must not prejudge guilt or innocence

The accused must be treated as innocent unless and until they are found guilty by the courts. We are troubled by the frequency and nature of comment being provided by unnamed security sources, and public comment about the cases by political leaders. We call on our political leaders, and on our security agencies, to refrain from making comments - on the record or off - that may contribute to sensationalism and a highly charged atmosphere and prejudice fair trials. Public security and due process, not public relations or a political agenda, must determine how information is shared. Terrorism is a serious offence, and we must not risk compromising fair trials, and convicting the innocent or letting the guilty go free.

We must ensure respect for all

We call on media and the public to ensure that the Muslim community and the Islamic faith are not portrayed as responsible for threats to public safety. We urge the media to refrain from using dehumanizing or discriminatory language and images and to respect the privacy of the families, neighbours and communities of the accused. We call on government to heed calls by Muslim communities for a forum for social dialogue.

This statement was released June 19, 2006 by Amnesty International

Canada, the Canadian Association of University Teachers, the Canadian

Federation of Students, the Canadian Labour Congress, the

International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group and Kairos: Canadian

Ecumenical Justice Initiatives.

For further information: Kerry Pither, Communications Officer, Canadian Association of University Teachers, (613) 820-2270 ext 333 or Elizabeth Berton-Hunter, Media Relations, Amnesty International Canada, (416) 363-9933 ext 32.

Source: newswire

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