Organisations Call for Public Inquiry
into Hassan Diab’s Extradition Case

A public inquiry convened under the Inquiries Act, led by a retired or current judge with the power to compel witnesses and full access to documents, is needed to thoroughly investigate Hassan’s case.

Numerous civil society organizations and politicians from across the spectrum are championing Hassan’s cause and calling for a public inquiry. Read their letters:

Background

We urge you add your voice and call for a public inquiry into Dr. Hassan Diab’s extradition case, so no other Canadian would be subjected to the injustices that Hassan and his family had to endure.

CBC News reported that French authorities did not disclose to the court in Canada key fingerprint analysis of the hotel registration card (which was filled by the suspect in 1980) that exonerates Hassan. The court in Canada was told that no such evidence existed, when in fact the fingerprint evidence was available in early 2008, many months before France requested Hassan’s extradition. Moreover, in 2009 a senior lawyer at the Canadian Department of Justice (DOJ) requested another fingerprint analysis as he believed that the evidence would be “very powerful” in getting Hassan extradited. When the RCMP fingerprint analysis excluded Hassan, the DOJ lawyer did not disclose this fact to the extradition court in Canada or to the defense.

These revelations point to a long, troubling pattern of injustice in Hassan’s case and the role that government officials within the Canadian Department of Justice, played in Hassan’s ordeal.

Recently, the Canadian Department of Justice announced it will conduct an “external review” of Hassan’s extradition. However, an external review falls far short of an independent inquiry and will not lead to meaningful reform, especially since the review will not examine Canada’s deeply flawed Extradition Act.

In an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail, Joe Clark (former Progressive Conservative Prime Minister of Canada), Monique Bégin (former Liberal Minister of Health), and Ed Broadbent (former leader of the New Democratic Party) wrote, “By its nature, a review looks backward. Clearly that is necessary to know what happened in the Diab case. it is equally essential to look forward and identify what changes are needed in the practices of the Department of Justice or other agencies, to ensure adequate legal protection of Canadians who may find themselves in a similar situation in the future. Canadians facing extradition deserve the full protection afforded by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That would be best achieved by a fully independent public inquiry, able to ensure full transparency and accountability, and provide objective and considered recommendations for reform.”