Benamar Benatta is a 33 year old Algerian citizen who trained as an aeronautical engineer. He came to North America to flee political persecution and threats to his life while serving in the Algerian Armed Forces. On September 5, 2001 Mr. Benatta crossed the border into Canada and claimed political asylum. His biggest fear was being returned to Algeria where he was certain to be tortured or killed for deserting the military. Canadian authorities put Mr. Benatta into immigration detention while they tried to ascertain his identity.

While in Canadian custody and unbeknown to Mr. Benatta, terrorists attacked the World Trade Centre in New York City and other targets on September 11, 2001. Canadian officials alerted U.S. officials to the presence of Mr. Benatta, presumably because he is a Muslim man who knows something about airplanes. Without a hearing, without counsel and without conducting proceedings in his first language (French), Mr. Benatta was unceremoniously driven over the border in the back of a car by Canadian officials and handed over to U.S. officials on September 12, 2001. This was an illegal transfer. This action by Canadian officials was the beginning of a long nightmare for Mr. Benatta.

Mr. Benatta was held in the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, New York, where he was treated as a suspect in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He was beaten. He was abused. He was held in conditions that the United Nations described as torture. He was forgotten.

Mr. Benatta was actually cleared of any terrorist activity by the FBI in November 2001; however, he was never told that he was cleared because he was being held incommunicado and did not have access to a lawyer.

In all, Mr. Benatta, an innocent man, spent nearly FIVE years of his life in American prisons in conditions that could be described as torture as found by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in an Opinion adopted in 2004. Mr. Benatta also suffered serious abuse at the hands of his prison guards, which is documented by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Canadian Government, various agencies and government officials all bear some measure of responsibility for Mr. Benatta’s ordeal. Mr. Benatta has been allowed to return to Canada to resume his claim for refugee status. His application is pending. He is trying to get his life back. He is trying to find out the truth about why this happened to him.

Read Benatta’s Story for more.

http://benamarbenatta.com/how-you-can-help/the-petition/

…to sign the petition! We’ve had some problems with the original one; none of those signatures were lost, but since it’s not working at this time, we’ve provided a petition right here on benamar benatta dot com for you to sign. Your signatures and comments will be added to the original one, which can be seen here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/canadians-need-the-truth-about-benatta (opens in a new window).

I’m testing it now to see if it works and if it is sufficient to meet our needs.

Ruschia

Although I am grateful for the right to remain in Canada, it is noteworthy to mention that I came to Canada over six years ago (on September 5, 2001) seeking asylum from political persecution—but I ended up spending years in United States prisons.

It is now clear that when Canadian officials falsely identified me to the U.S. officials as someone who has something to do with the events of the September 11, 2001 and then illegally transported me across the border on that same day and handed me over to U.S officials, they transported a refugee—not just a refugee claimant—in other words, someone who it had been determined was at risk and feared for his life and safety in his home country. Had I been granted due process and a hearing on the merits of my case on that month (of September 12) as required by Canadian and international Law, I would have been granted refugee status in Canada at that time, as it has been determined recently. Instead, Canadian Officials chose to overlook the law, put me in the back of a car and hand me over to U.S. officials where I have been tortured, abused and detained for nearly 5 years.

An adequate review process must follow. Such illegal actions in complete disregard to Canadian and international law must not be tolerated in a country were the rules of law apply. I deserve an answer as to how I came to be illegally handed over to U.S. officials in violation of Canadian and international law. In addition, Canadians need to know what went wrong in my case, whether there are any other similar cases and how future such injustices can be prevented.

Only by doing so and by correcting past mistakes, will Canada be able to restore a defamed reputation that was once cherished: a leader in the protection of human rights provisions around the globe.

Thank you,
Benamar

Benamar Benatta, Tortured and Held 5 Years by U.S. Authorities, to be joined by Lawyer and supporters at 150 King West (at York), 12 Noon, Wednesday, September 12, 2007

TORONTO – Six years to the day that he was illegally transferred to the United States, where he was tortured and detained for almost five full years, Benamar Benatta will join the first demonstration in support of his call for a public review of his case on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 at 12 Noon at 150 King Street West (site of the Regional Ministers’ Offices of the federal government).

While most Canadians are familiar with the case of Maher Arar, a Canadian survivor of rendition to torture, few have heard of Benatta, an Algerian refugee claimant who was handed over to the Americans on September 12, 2001. Canadian officials wrongfully identified Mr. Benatta as a suspect in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 solely based on prejudicial suspicions – he was a Muslim man who knew something about airplanes.

Without a hearing, without counsel and without conducting proceedings in his first language (French), Mr. Benatta was unceremoniously driven over the border in the back of a car and handed over to U.S. officials on September 12, 2001. This was an illegal transfer by the Canadian government.

In the U.S., Mr. Benatta was treated as a suspect in the September 11, 2001 attacks and was imprisoned, abused and held in conditions that the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found could be considered as torture. Despite being cleared by the FBI in November 2001 of any connection to terrorism, he spent nearly five years in detention. On July 20, 2006, Mr. Benatta was finally allowed to return to Canada and has resumed his claim for asylum. His application is currently pending.

Since his return to Canada in July, 2006, Mr. Benatta has sought a public review of his case. Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said he would look into the matter, but Mr. Benatta still does not have any answers.

While Mr. Day has shown promptness in responding to the RCMP pension scandal, he has yet to show a similar concern over a case of rendition to torture and illegal detention.

On April 19, 2007, in response to a question about Mr. Benatta, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day responded, “We want to know why this happened”. But up until now, no answers have been forthcoming.

Benatta and his supporters will call on the federal government to immediately convene a public review so that he can get answers about why five years of his life were needlessly stolen, and how future cases of rendition can be stopped.

“I have been waiting for answers for six long years,” said Mr. Benatta. “Why did the Canadian government treat me this way? On September 12, 2001, they handed me over to U.S. officials and forgot about me. They cannot pretend that never happened. I need answers in order to go on with my life.”

“The circumstances of Benamar’s case are the worst I have ever heard,” says his lawyer, Nicole Chrolavicius of bakerlaw. “He was locked away in the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn under John Ashcroft’s insidious ‘preventative detention’ regime. He was forgotten by Canada. He was tortured, abused and arbitrarily detained for nearly five years. The continued delays in providing Mr. Benatta—and Canadians alike—with answers in this important case are unconscionable.”

For more information:

Benatta Coalition for a Public Review
www.benamarbenatta.com

Nicole Chrolavicius
Counsel to Mr. Benatta
nicole@benamarbenatta.com

To view coalition members, click here. Thanks for the update Ben. I hope everyone is doing swell.

Ruschia

I am Benamar Benatta’s lawyer. The circumstances of Benamar’s case are the worst I have ever heard. An innocent man, he was illegally transferred to the U.S. by Canadian officials on September 12, 2001 with nothing but prejudicial suspicions. He was locked away in the Metropolitian Detention Centre in Brooklyn under John Ashcroft’s insidious “preventative detention” regime. He was forgotten by Canada. He was tortured, abused and arbitrarily detained for nearly five years. Where do we even begin to obtain justice for Benamar?

Well, first of all, we need answers. We need to put pressure on the Canadian government to review the circumstances of Benamar’s illegal transfer. We need to call Canadian officials to account for their illegal actions. We need to reaffirm human rights principles and the rule of law. We need to make sure this never happens again.

I hope that when you read about Benamar’s case, you feel compelled to lend your voice in speaking out against the injustices he endured. Join the Benatta Coalition for a Public Review and post a comment of support. Benamar regularly views this site and your expressions of support mean more than words can describe.

Together, we will find the truth. In truth, there will be justice. That is what Benamar, and Canadians alike, deserve.

Nicole

After everything’s in working order again, we will be implementing ways in which everyone can help Ben, both on the Canadian side and the American side. There are many, many others in these and similar situations. There are so many abuses going on that it’s overwhelming. For my own part, I am often confronted by statements such as… “There’s so many who need help, you can’t help them all,” and similar discouraging sentiments. My answer to that is that here’s one person we CAN help. We can’t allow these abuses to go on to placate our intellectual laziness. It’s easy to throw up our hands and declare the situation is “bigger” than we are, and that somehow we are powerless. If we are powerless, it is because we choose not to exercise the power that we have. I have the power to help Benamar Benatta, in whatever capacity that is. Everyone can do something. All we’re asking is for concerned people to do what is in their power to do. Everyone has the power to write a letter. Make a phone call. Show support. Make your voices heard.

Soon, we will be giving you the opportunity to do just that. So please keep checking back. When the registration process is working again, I’ll post and let everyone know.

Edit: Thanks to our tech magician Mr. CT, the site is functional again. Everything should be working fine; new comers can now register again. If anyone notices anything that’s broken let us know. Otherwise we are back on track. Many thanks to CT!

Ruschia

Stay tuned because I’d like to include the entire hour long show. Right now though, I just wanted to post the part of the show that related to Ben.

Feel free to comment on what you thought of the show.

We are also tossing our ideas to and fro; as it pertains to getting registered members to participate in discussions. But there are many ways you can help. And we think we may have found a way in which everyone (not solely members of this site, but other as well) can help out.

Stay tuned.

Intelligent reader response.