Write to Minister Before Crucial Decision

The Minister of Justice, Mr. Rob Nicholson, has delayed his decision on whether to surrender Dr. Hassan Diab for extradition to France, in light of public outcry and new material submitted by Hassan’s lawyer. The Minister is now expected to make his decision by March 28, 2012.

The delay by Minister Nicholson reflects the extraordinary flimsiness of the case against Hassan and shows there are serious doubts about the case. These same doubts led the extradition judge to label the case against Hassan as “weak” and to declare that “the prospects of conviction in the context of a fair trial seem unlikely”. Despite these serious doubts, the judge committed Hassan for extradition in June 2011. The committal decision was based on a single French handwriting report that three internationally renowned handwriting experts unanimously condemned as deeply flawed. This handwriting report was introduced after France withdrew two earlier handwriting reports that were also discredited.

We are horrified that the standards of Canada’s extradition law are so low that this pretence of a case against Dr. Diab has been allowed to drag on for so long.

WRITE to or CALL Minister Nicholson at this crucial time and urge him NOT to surrender Hassan.

WRITE to or CALL Hassan’s Member of Parliament, Mr. Paul Dewar, and ask him to contact Minister Nicholson on behalf of Hassan Diab.

(Please share a copy of your letters with diabsupport@gmail.com.)