Hassan Diab’s Case Highlights Major Faultlines in Extradition Process

Article Highlights Major Fault Lines in Extradition Process

The multi-year extradition saga of Ottawa university professor Hassan Diab — sought by the French for his alleged role in a 1980 Paris bombing that claimed four lives — has taken yet another bizarre turn with the news that Diab has not even been formally charged. He is merely sought for questioning, with no guarantee that a trial would ensue.

Despite this astounding discovery — no doubt discomfiting to the Ontario judge who presided over Diab’s two-year extradition hearing — Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has signed a surrender order committing Diab to years of French detention without charge while the 32-year investigation into the crime continues.

It’s a decision that Diab’s lawyer, Don Bayne, says is unprecedented in Canadian history. But then again, nothing about the Diab case passes the judicial smell test. It would be an understatement at best to declare that Diab, who adamantly denies any involvement and condemns violence and anti-Semitism, is a victim of mistaken identity. Indeed, Diab’s finger and palm prints, handwriting, and physical description do not match those of the suspect, yet the case has ground on largely due to an arcane process that sacrifices the Charter rights of an individual to the politics of foreign relations…

Read the full article at rabble.ca:

Taking Liberties: Revelations in Hassan Diab case highlight major faultlines in extradition process, By Matthew Behrens