Hassan’s Kafkaesque Situation Continues

Hassan’s Kafkaesque situation continues following the decision by an Ontario judge to commit him to extradition (June 2011), and the order by Minister Nicholson to surrender him to France (April 2012). This is despite the fact that Hassan is not charged with any crime, and French investigators have informed Minister Nicholson that they are seeking Dr. Diab’s extradition for questioning. Hassan has repeatedly affirmed that he is willing to answer questions from French authorities here in Canada. He has also agreed to submit to a lie-detector test. Hassan’s lawyers are preparing an appeal of both the Judge’s decision and the Minister’s order. The appeal is expected to be heard in 2013.

It is tragic that Hassan, a peace loving individual who has always opposed bigotry and violence, is being subjected to grave injustices in the name of extradition. There is no evidence to support the case against Hassan. His palm prints and finger prints do not match those of the suspect. The record of the case is rife with contradictions and inaccuracies. The decision to extradite Hassan is based on a handwriting analysis report submitted by France that claims similarity between Hassan’s handwriting and five words written by the suspect. This report was denounced by internationally renowned experts as deeply flawed, biased, and unreliable. The extradition judge himself found the report to be “convoluted”, “very confusing”, and “with conclusions that are suspect”. He declared that “the prospects of conviction in the context of a fair trial seem unlikely”, but said his interpretation of Canada’s extradition law left him no choice but to commit Hassan to extradition. If Hassan’s case were tried in Canada, the case would be thrown out of court.

In the meantime, Hassan continues to live under very strict bail conditions that include paying $2,000 per month for a GPS device that he must wear all the time.