Maher Arar: US Senator Patrick Leahy Comments on SC Decision

Comment On The Supreme Court’s Denial Of Certiorari In Arar v. Ashcroft -“The United States’ secret rendition of Maher Arar to Syria, where he was tortured for nearly a year, remains a stain on this nation’s legacy as a human rights leader around the world” Senator Patrick Leahy

(From PoliticalNews.me)

“The United States’ secret rendition of Maher Arar to Syria, where he was tortured for nearly a year, remains a stain on this nation’s legacy as a human rights leader around the world. We know that Mr. Arar was detained by American authorities, who deported him not to his country of residence, Canada, where he would have been questioned and investigated, but to Syria, a country known for torturing detainees. The Canadian government has publicly cleared Mr. Arar of any links to terrorism, yet the United States has continued to deny culpability in this case, citing the too-often used state secrets privilege*. I am disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision to deny certiorari in this case.”

About Senator Patrick Leahy

Patrick Leahy of Middlesex was elected to the United States Senate in 1974 and remains the only Democrat elected to this office from Vermont. At 34, he was the youngest U.S. Senator ever to be elected from the Green Mountain State. Leahy was born in Montpelier and grew up across from the Statehouse. A graduate of Saint Michael's College in Colchester (1961), he received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center (1964). He served for eight years as State's Attorney in Chittenden County. He gained a national reputation for his law enforcement activities and was selected (1974) as one of three outstanding prosecutors in the United States. Leahy is the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is a senior member of the Agriculture and Appropriations Committees. He ranks third in seniority in the Senate.

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