Tracking bracelet gone, now revoke 'security certificates'

 
Mohammad Mahjoub, one of three remaining Security Certificate detainees in Canada, was finally allowed to remove his tracking bracelet, after five years, on Feb 1, 2013. “I have had my freedom taken away from me for over 12 years, and bit by bit, I’m getting it back. I feel so happy right now that I got back some of my freedom, but I will continue to fight the Canadian government, CSIS and CBSA until my case is dropped,” he said.
 
Mahjoub and two others, Mohamed Harkat and Mahmoud Jaballah, are all Muslim refugees under threat of deprotation to torture or death under the so-called security certificates, which do not require charges to be laid and can be upheld in secret proceedings on the basis of secret information.
 
Mr. Mahjoub is still required to report weekly to government officials, and to keep the peace and good behaviour and refrain from contacts with anyone known to support terrorism.
 
This court decisison to lift most of Mr. Mahjoub's release conditions is a bit of good news for the security certificate detainees and the campaign to abolish this abusive process, which has been criticized by the United Nations and human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, for its arbitrary nature and its flagrant disregard for natural justice and international law.
 
Mr. Mahjoub is currently waiting for a response from the Federal Court on a motion to permanently stop proceedings against him. Meanwhile, Mr. Harkat learned recently that his case will be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada later this year in a test of the constitutionality of the process - already ruled unconstitutional twice by the courts, and tweaked by the Harper government in early 2008 to make cosmetic changes that did not fundamentally alter the unjust nature of the certificate regime.
 
Supporters can find updates at http://www.supportmahjoub.org, http://www.justiceforharkat.com, and http://www.justiceforjaballah.org. Sign a statement against security certificates at http://www.harkatstatement.com.