You are invited to join Adil Charkaoui and members of the Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui on Wednesday, 15 April, when Adil is in court to argue for his right to keep his job as a high school French teacher and to finally obtain a teaching permit, according to his rights.

Despite the fact that Adil Charkaoui has all the academic qualifications required to teach at the secondary level and that he has considerable experience in this area, he has been denied, since November 2008, his means of subsistence following an arbitrary decision taken by the Minister of Education of Québec, Michelle Courchesne. Courchesne believes that the baseless allegations which have been made against Adil in the context of a security certificate, issued by the Federal government in 2003, are sufficient grounds to deny him his teaching permit.

1 April 2009, 2pm

McGill University
3700 McTavish (the Education Building), room 233

Panel on security certificates and the struggle ahead, with Adil Charkaoui and Mary Foster (Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui).

Organized by the McGill Refugee Research Project.

CBC, 11 March 2009

A documentary by Patricio Henriquez

Tuesday 17 March 09 at 7pm (French)
UQAM, room DS-1950 (Berri metro)
Cinema Politica UQAM

Wednesday 25 March 09 at 6pm (English)
McGill University, Leacock Building room 219 (McGill metro)
McGill QPIRG film festival

Screening followed by a discussion with Adil Charkaoui on security certificates in Canada, or how a democratic state can torture legally.

Court Hearings in Charkaoui case

Tuesday, 10 and Wednesday, 11 March from 9:30 am
80 McGill St., metro Square Victoria
(If you come late, please call 514 222 0205 to make sure the hearings are still on.)

Although there was another significant victory in the fight for justice and equality last month when the conditions imposed on Adil Charkaoui were substantially reduced, his struggle against the unconstitutional (in)security certificate is far from over. This coming week, on 10 and 11 March, his lawyers will be in court to argue several important legal questions which will set the stage for the coming months in his case, and potentially have a broad impact on the rights of many people.

These include important questions relating to:

by Justin Podur, 1 March 2009

On February 20, the Federal Court of Canada dropped most of the conditions it had placed on one of the prisoners of its “security certificate” regime, Adil Charkaoui. While much of his life is still lived in the rights-free zone widened under the “war on terror”, his struggles over the years have won him back some parts of his life. (For the decision see here)

Western countries cannot treat terrorism suspects as though they exist outside rule of law, judges find

COLIN FREEZE, February 25, 2009, Globe and Mail

Canada is among the countries that have succumbed to a war-on-terror mentality that has infected too many states, a roving panel of judges has found.

Calling upon the world to dispense with any "war" mentality, the judges say it's high time that terrorism suspects and intelligence agents cease to be treated as though they exist outside the rule of law.

"It's time for change," they write in Assessing Damage, Urging Action. The 200-page report, released earlier this month, advocates rolling back many emergency powers that have been invoked globally since 9/11.

Can go out alone. Judge rules conditions are unnecessary
 
SUE MONTGOMERY, The Gazette, 21 February 2009
 
For the first time in four years, Adil Charkaoui, 35, was able to go outside yesterday without his mom and dad.

In a judgment that Charkaoui has been awaiting for close to a year, Federal Court Judge Danièle Tremblay-Lamer yesterday lifted the restrictive conditions under which the Moroccan-born Montrealer, who Ottawa believes is a terrorist, has had to live since being released on Feb. 18, 2005, from nearly two years' detention.

He's now able to drive his car and go to the gym alone. He can surf the Internet, use mobile or landline telephones. He can stay out past 10 p.m. He can plan trips off the island of Montreal.

But the battle against 'big brother' is far from over ...

Four years after Adil Charkaoui was placed under draconian "preventive conditions", he will finally be able to walk out of his front door without his mother and father. A decision by the Federal Court released on Friday, 20 February 2009 did away with the bulk of the conditions which have suffocated the Charkaoui family since Adil was released from prison on 18 February 2005. (Read decision here.)

In an impromptu press conference, Adil told journalists how much he was looking forward to things that would seem completely banal to most people, such as going out to a restaurant with his wife and children or taking the kids to the park by himself. For the first time since he left prison four years ago, he was able to make a phone call from a telephone outside his home. His tentative plans for the evening included a late-night drive around the city with his family.

The Panel held hearings around the world, including Canada, where both Adil Charkaoui and Me. Johanne Doyon, one of his lawyers, made presentations.

Among the key conclusions most relevant to security certificate detainees:

• States should repeal laws authorising administrative detention without charge or trial outside a genuine state of emergency; even in the latter case, States are reminded that the right to habeas corpus must be granted to all detainees and in all circumstances.

• States should ensure that immigration law does not serve as a substitute for criminal law in its counter-terrorism efforts and should, in particular, reaffirm their commitment to the principle of non-refoulement.

A release announcing the report, as well as an executive summary and the full report can be found by clicking here.