In a letter to Public Safety Minister, Peter Van Loan, supporters of Benatta said they were “dismayed” to learn Ottawa claims it did nothing wrong.

Such a defense “undermines public confidence in the government’s commitment to safeguarding human rights in the context of national security,” wrote representatives of groups such as Amnesty International Canada, Canadian Council for Refugees and International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group.

To read the letter that was submitted by the human rights groups click here.

To read the Toronto Star article regarding the letter, click here.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/308114

Ben is is scheduled to speak tonight at the Noor Cultural Centre. Discussion starts at 7:30 pm. Admission: $5.

Go if you can.

Some highlights from the above article:

Benamar Benatta rarely sleeps more than three or four hours a night.

“I’m not the same person I used to be before Sept. 12, who was full of life and full of spirit,” said Benatta, whose feet and hands bear scars from his time in jail. “It’s like they’ve marked me for the rest of my life. It wasn’t only five years of detention – what they did to me will hurt me the rest of my life,” said Benatta…

“Canada’s First 9/11 Rendition to Torture: An Evening with Benamar Benatta happens Tuesday, January 29, at 7:30 p.m. at Public Service Alliance of Canada Hall (233 Gilmour St., at Metcalfe).” Click here for the article in its entirety.

Click here for an extensive article at The Ottawa Citizen.

I wish to take this opportunity to wish good luck to Benamar and all the kind folks who will be marching with him on the 30th. Good luck!

Also, I’d like to remind everyone to keep spreading the word, tell your friends and family about this case and our petition… And to those who’ve taken it upon themselves to write their own personal letters to their representatives or to Editors of newspapers (online and off), thank you as well!

Though Ben has indeed finally won his refugee case, it’s not over yet. Still—no public review has been forthcoming. Not acceptable. Let’s keep making noise.

That’s the latest. Thank you Matthew Behren and Straight Goods.

Everyone please keep spreading the word… let’s flood that petition with signatures before the 30th…

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

Demand a Public Review for Benamar Benatta:
Vigil and Walk to Prime Minister’s office to Present Petitions demanding a public review
Wednesday, January 30, at 10:30 am
Meet at Eternal Flame, Parliament Hill.

Interview with Nicole Chrolavicius about recent vigil in Canada.

Hopefully we’ll have permission to post video of the vigil that the Global National has locked down. As I understand it Nicole has inquired about obtaining the video as well.

We will keep you updated on any developments.

In the meantime, here is the latest I was able to obtain, an Indy Media interview about the case:

Interview with Benamar Benatta and Nicole Chrolavicius from Indy Media.

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.