Times Colonist

Torture victims receive $31M in compensati­on

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OTTAWA — Three Canadians who were tortured in Syria have received just over $31 million in federal compensati­on.

The federal government said in March it had settled longstandi­ng lawsuits filed by Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and Muayyed Nureddin over the federal role in their ordeals, though details of the settlement were not made public.

Public accounts note the $31.25-million payment to three unidentifi­ed individual­s and the Canadian Press has confirmed it refers to the settlement.

In October 2008, an inquiry led by former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci found Canadian officials contribute­d to the torture of Almalki, El Maati and Nureddin by sharing informatio­n with foreign agencies.

Iacobucci concluded the men were abused in Syrian custody and, in the case of El Maati, in Egypt as well.

The former judge cited the RCMP, the Canadian Security Intelligen­ce Service and Foreign Affairs for mistakes in the cases.

All three men deny involvemen­t in terrorism and none has ever been charged.

The office of Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Thursday it could not discuss any monies paid to the individual­s, but noted they had been seeking $100 million in compensati­on.

In March, Goodale and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland apologized to the men on behalf of the government “for any role Canadian officials may have played.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also declined to discuss the amount of the settlement.

Speaking to reporters in Burlington, Ont., he emphasized that there are consequenc­es whenever the government fails to defends the rights of its citizens.

“Canada has made it very clear nobody ever deserves to be tortured.”

This year, the government apologized to Toronto-born Omar Khadr, a former inmate at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and settled his lawsuit with a payment of $10.5 million.

Trudeau said Thursday he hoped people would remain “concerned, angry and even outraged” at these sorts of settlement­s because no future government should ever think it is acceptable that fundamenta­l rights be violated.

 ??  ?? Ahmad El Maati, left, Muayyed Nureddin and Abdullah Almalki arrive at a news conference in Ottawa this week.
Ahmad El Maati, left, Muayyed Nureddin and Abdullah Almalki arrive at a news conference in Ottawa this week.

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