In 2002 Canadian Maher Arar was arrested by US authorities in New York then rendered to Syria where he was tortured. Today Arar received an apology from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. According to the Toronto Star:
"On behalf of the government of Canada, I wish to apologize to you . . . and your family for any role Canadian officials may have played in the terrible ordeal that all of you experienced in 2002 and 2003," Harper said.
"I sincerely hope that these words and actions will assist you and your family in your efforts to begin a new and hopeful chapter in your lives."
Harper also called on United States to remove Arar from its security watch list, which prevents him from travelling to the U.S.
How much might he get from the US government?
The $12.5 million offer includes $2 million for Arar's legal fees.
Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian citizen who worked in Ottawa as a computer specialist, was detained by U.S. authorities in New York in 2002 and deported to Syria on the basis of unsubstantiated RCMP suspicions.
An independent fact-finder concluded Arar was tortured by Syrian officials before being released from a Damascus prison in late 2003. While behind bars, he was forced to make false confessions about involvement with the Al Qaeda terrorist network.
He had sought $37 million in compensation after filing an initial suit for $400 million. Mediation sessions began late last year, opening the door to a settlement.
In September, Arar was exonerated after a two-year public inquiry led by Justice Dennis O’Connor.
The inquiry report found the RCMP passed misleading, inaccurate and unfair information to U.S. authorities that very likely led to Arar’s arrest and deportation to face torture in Syria.
The scandal forced the head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Giuliano Zaccardelli, to resign in December.
Vermont's Senator Patrick Leahy grilled AG Alberto Gonzales last week saying:
"We knew damn well if he went to Canada he wouldn't be tortured," said Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont. "He'd be held and he'd be investigated.
"We also knew damn well if he went to Syria, he'd be tortured. And it's beneath the dignity of this country — a country that has always been a beacon of human rights — to send somebody to another country to be tortured.
"You know and I know that has happened a number of times in the past five years by this country. It is a black mark on us."
CBC: "US knew damn well"