Canadian citizen says he was wrongly imprisoned in Egypt
CAIRO: Investigators in Canada will launch a probe into allegations that a Canadian citizen suspected of links to Al-Qaeda was wrongly detained and tortured by Egyptian police, The Daily Star Egypt has learned.
The investigation will look into whether Canadian security officers were implicit in the detention of Ahmad El-Maati, who holds dual Canadian and Egyptian citizenship, by sharing faulty intelligence information with Syrian police.
In November 2001, El-Maati says that he was set to celebrate his wedding in Syria when authorities in Damascus detained him for questioning. Three months later, he was sent to Egypt, where he was jailed and tortured.
The probe will also delve into similar allegations by Abduallah Al-Malki and Muayyed Nureddin, two other Canadians of Middle Eastern descent who were also unlawfully detained and tortured by Syrian police.
“The Canadian government degraded and dehumanized me, Al-Malki told Agence France Press in October.
“I do not think that having to endure over 1,000 lashes over one night while being interrogated is just. I do not think to be stuffed in a tire and beaten for a whole morning with an electric cable is something that I could describe.
The Daily Star Egypt contacted sources at the Canadian Embassy who referred all calls to the officials at the Ottawa press office, which were unavailable for comment.
The decision to launch this investigation comes as Canadian security officials deal with the fallout of a similar case.
In September, police in Canada were publicly reprimanded after a preliminary report found that they shared faulty intelligence with US authorities about Maher Arar, a 36-year-old software specialist who was flying to Canada from a trip to Tunisia. Arar was stopped in New York and sent to Syria, where he was jailed and tortured for more than a year.
We believe this new Inquiry . is the most efficient and capable way of addressing the cases, said Canada s Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day. “This government is committed to ensuring the protection of Canadians.
