I Apologize to Maher Arar
Demand Accountability for Torture
Maher Arar suffered torture because of the actions of U.S. officials. An apology is long overdue.
Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen, was travelling home to Canada from visiting relatives in Tunisia in 2002. While changing planes at New York City’s JFK airport, he was detained by U.S. authorities and then transferred secretly to Syria, where he was held for a year and tortured.
“It was so painful,” Maher Arar said of the beatings he endured, “that I forgot every enjoyable moment in my life.”
Released without charge and allowed to return home to Canada, Maher Arar received an apology and compensation from the Canadian government for its role in his treatment. But the U.S. government has failed to apologize or offer Maher Arar any form of remedy – despite its obligation to do so under the UN Convention Against Torture and other human rights treaties.
Torture is immoral, illegal and a crime: Urge President Obama and Congress to apologize to Maher Arar and fulfill his right to remedy. It’s the right thing to do.
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