Torture, Rendition Victim Maher Arar Asks Supreme Court to Allow Suit Against US Gov't

by via Democracy Now

Wed, Feb 3, 2010 8:59AM

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 :Lawyers for the Canadian torture and rendition victim Maher Arar are asking the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling blocking him from suing the US government. In 2002, Arar was seized by US officials at Kennedy Airport in New York and rendered to Syria, where he was tortured, interrogated and detained in a tiny underground cell for nearly a year. Last year a federal appeals court ruled allowing the lawsuit to proceed would "offend the separation of powers and inhibit (US) foreign policy."

Lawyers for the Canadian torture and rendition victim Maher Arar are asking the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling blocking him from suing the U.S. government. In 2002, Arar was seized by US officials at Kennedy Airport in New York and rendered to Syria, where he was tortured, interrogated and detained in a tiny underground cell for nearly a year. Last year a federal appeals court ruled allowing the lawsuit to proceed would “offend the separation of powers and inhibit (US) foreign policy.”

Bill Quigley, Legal director at the Center for Constitutional Rights.