(Ottawa – May 3, 2018) The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) is calling on the Federal Government to establish an independent and public inquiry into the treatment of Professor Hassan Diab.
Following accusations by the French government that he was involved in a terrorist bombing in Paris in 1980, Professor Diab, a dual Canadian-Lebanese citizen, was extradited to France where he spent more than three years in solitary confinement. Recently, information has surfaced that reveals Canadian officials may have withheld evidence that would have exonerated Professor Diab of any wrongdoing.
“Dr. Diab, his family, and all Canadians deserve to know why and how the Government of Canada allowed and enabled the suffering and the jailing of one of its citizens in a foreign prison for 1,156 days without proper evidence. I urge you to act on this matter immediately,” the letter states. “We ask that an independent and public inquiry look at the actions of Canadian officials and review Canada’s extradition agreements in order to raise the burden of proof required in such cases.”