TOP 10 REASONS 1. The emphasis of the conference is not on listening, but on practical training. |
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OPENING PLENARY: THE RENDITION OF MAHER ARAR
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Keynote speaker Maher Arar’s fame extends beyond Canada. He became a global icon for the violation of human rights in the name of heightened national security. Arar is one of the best known examples of the US rendition policy’s arbitrariness. The Canadian citizen, who immigrated from Syria when he was seventeen, was picked up from a transit lounge in New York’s JFK airport, where US officials detained and interrogated him about alleged links to Al-Qaeda. The CIA secretly flew him to Syria where he was tortured and held for 10 months in a “grave-like” cell. Pressured by the Canadian public, human rights organizations, and the efforts of Arar’s wife Monia Mazigh, the Canadian government intervened. Arar survived, fought for a public inquiry, cleared his name, and the Canadian government issued an apology to him and his family. Arar spoke directly to more than 500 people at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference questioning their use anonymous sources. He noted that even after his name was cleared and the Canadian government apologized to him a reporter used an anonymous source questioning his innocence. Highlights From Opening Plenary: The rendition of Maher Arar |
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