Canada should suspend its extradition treaty with France over the persecution of Hassan Diab

On May 19 France’s top court upheld a lower court ruling ordering Diab to stand trial for a 1980 terrorist bombing in Paris. This is despite the fact that in 2018 the French court that originally oversaw Diab’s prosecution ordered him released and dismissed the proceeding for lack of evidence. And it’s despite the fact that even what slim and inadequate evidence existed back in 2018 has been debunked by both defence experts and the French lower court itself…

The prime minister [Justin Trudeau] recently claimed that Canada was “standing up” for Diab, as it would for other citizens targeted for unfair prosecution by foreign states; but it is not clear what is being done, and in any event, it appears it is not working…

Extradition relations between countries are meant to be built on a foundation of mutual respect and accommodation. In Canada-France extradition relations, the respect and accommodation appear to be one-sided; Canada has been eager to help France, but France has not been a good extradition partner. Suspending the extradition treaty would be a first step toward ending the persecution of Hassan Diab, and to improving an important but dysfunctional relationship.

Read the full article by Professor Robert J. Currie:
“Canada should suspend its extradition treaty with France over the persecution of Hassan Diab”, by Robert J. Currie, June 3, 2021, rabble.ca