A tearful Mohamed Harkat at a press conference in Ottawa Thursday, May 15, 2014 - the day after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled a security certificate against him was constitutional.
Photo Credit: Sean Kilpatrick/CP

Tearful Mohamed Harkat wants open trial, to be cleared after 12 years of suspicion

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A tearful Mohamed Harkat and his wife Sophie Lamarche were still dazed and upset when they met journalists Thursday (May 15) a day after the Supreme Court of Canada had ruled a security certificate issued against Harkat was constitutional.

The certificate is a rarely used immigration procedure to deport non-residents from Canada because of national security issues and based on secret evidence.

Since his arrest in 2002, Harkat has tried to clear his name of allegations he associated with terrorists. His appeal to the Supreme Court was to overturn the security certificate. But, even though it flagged a number of concerns, including destroyed evidence, the court ruled proper procedures under Canadian law had been followed.

On Thursday, Harkat and his wife were joined by a number of supporters, including the leader of Canada’s Green Party, the head of Amnesty International Canada, and the executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

RCI’s Wojtek Gwiazda has a report.

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More information:
Supreme Court of Canada decision – here
CBC News – Mohamed Harkat certain he’ll be killed if deported to Algeria – here
Toronto Star – Supreme Court upholds security certificate law in Mohamed Harkat terror case – here
Toronto Star – Five reasons the Supreme Court’s Mohamed Harkat ruling matters – here
Government of Canada website – Explanation of security certificate – here
Canadian Bar Association – The Harkat decision – here
Canadian Press – A timeline in the security certificate case of Algerian refugee Mohamed Harkat – here

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