24-oct-08

21. After the dust settles….!

Now, as the dust settles from the verdict that was handed to the youth in the now “Torornto10” case, it is time to reflect on some aspects of the decision and it’s implications for the rest of the group.

It is a given that, whether the Judge meant that to be or no, the verdict had served the interest of the conservative government and was a “safe face” tool for the RCMP and CICS. The case was practically falling apart after 7 of the 18 individuals were released. The star witness Muben had flip flopped throughout the course of the hearings, between his feel of guilt and wanting to help, and his need for the money to satisfy the addiction! The prosecution had to challenge his own witness and declare him a “liar” to keep the case opened! This is an unprecedented move in such a sensitive case that is solely dependent on the work of two malls, discounting the third mole that has surfaced during the hearings and denied by CICS agents.

Soruce: WEINGARTEN.CA - 15-oct-08

Now that the commotion and commentary have subsided, Canadians are again left with the taste of fear in their mouths after a guilty verdict in the trial of the “Toronto 11”.

An unnamed youth (we’ll call him N.Y.) has been convicted of “terrorism” as defined by Canadian Anti-terror legislation. Though all the facts have yet to be made public, Conservative pundits are now pointing to the verdict, falsely claiming that “not only did he genuinely want to kill Canadians, but he felt it was a religious obligation to do so”, and that he “wanted to be a terrorist.”

The fact is that the youth was unaware of any “terrorist” plot, and never stated a desire to commit murder. Although the Crown witness Mubin Shaikh can attest to this, it doesn’t matter. One no longer needs the “mens rea”, or guilty mind, to be convicted of such a horrible crime in Canada. This country’s far-reaching anti-terror legislation states simply that a terrorist act has been committed "whether or not the facilitator knows that a particular terrorist activity is facilitated."

(*The actual legislation in question is extremely broad in its reach. Reading the document will give you an idea of how easily one can be found guilty of terrorism with little more than a government-levelled accusation.)

20. So, It is Political after all….!

The guilty verdict that was delivered today in court against one of the youth in the case proves beyond a shadow of doubt that this case is all about politics. No truth, no justice...just politics. It also proves that the “Justice” system in Canada has been sold to politics. It is not only a wrong verdict, but is one that is covered with shame on the judge who delivered it, and the whole Justice system.

The “Training camp” story has been discussed many times in court during the prelim and the hearings of the seven people that were released after the prosecution dropped the charges against them. There was nothing that can be described as ‘evidence’ of the plot, set aside what is described by the Judge as “overwhelming evidence”. It is known to all who heard or watched the hearings that it was just a sports event attended by a group of youth to keep them in shape; playing paint ball.

Darkness more than the Night….

Twenty eight months have already passed since the Toronto 18 were first arrested. Seven of the detained were set free; including the alleged “Ring leader”. The case took central stage on the Canadian Media and politics. It was a big day for the Media, the Police, and the ruling party’ Politicians to affirm their guard of Canadian life; no matter what the truth behind this affirmation might be.

However, after the first splash, the case took a down turn when the Prosecutor cancelled the Prelim hearings after 19 month of the trial and took every one and every thing back to square 1. Nine months later, the case is still standing still; no progress whatsoever.

21-aug-08

It has been a while since I wrote for the “Injustice in Canada”. That is not because I lost interest. I can’t lose interest in my son’s life that has been taken away from him. It is simply because there is nothing happening whatsoever. The situation is completely stagnant. The court is not in session any more, as the persecution is in vacation!

The accused are just sitting in the detention prison waiting for any thing to happen, to give them a glimpse of hope that they might, one day, actually have a trial and maybe, if justice prevails and politics subsided in this case, can walk out free again. Just dreaming…!

The politically-accused have started to lose patience. They are denied a lot of rights that come with being in a regular prison rather than in detention. For instance, they are not allowed to exercise. Their phone access is restricted, and the food is the worst that can be fed to a human. They are not allowed regular touch visits as permitted for killers and rapists in regular prisons. It has been over 26 month, and there is no hope for a successful bail.

Source: GlobalOutlook.ca  - 24-jun-08 

The theatrical arrests of 18 (mostly young) Muslims in Toronto in the Summer of 2006 reinforced media-driven paranoia that homegrown terrorists were everywhere. The unraveling of the case two years later exposes to view yet again the sinister and disgraceful behavior of Canada’s security intelligence apparatus, which has formed a habit of confecting false accusations of terrorism against Canadian citizens. “The threat to Canadian society is not a bunch of Muslim boys playing paintball, it’s an ideologically driven government willing to curtail our civil liberties.”

On June 2, 2006 the arrests of seventeen Muslim men and youths in Toronto on terrorism charges made headlines around the world. The accusations against them were indeed spectacular: according to the Toronto police, this terrorist cell had been planning bombing attacks against the Houses of Parliament, the CN Tower, the headquarters of CSIS (the Canadian Security Intelligence Service) and the CBC – and also, most sensationally, they had allegedly intended, after storming the Parliament buildings, to behead Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Source: The independent Washington - 29-may-08

Canadian Decision in a Guantanamo Bay Case Should Guide U.S. Justices

At the end of June, the Supreme Court is due to issue a ruling on the challenge filed by Guantánamo detainees to their detention and the denial of habeas corpus. All the current presidential candidates, Sen. John McCain, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, have discussed their intention to close the offshore detention facility Guantanamo's continuing damage to America’s global reputation figures prominently in their calculations. 

Source: Toronto Star - 17-apr-08

CSIS is proving to be just as inept and dysfunctional as the discredited RCMP Security Service it replaced in 1984

The case that was supposed to be a defining moment in Canada's so-called "war on terror" is becoming a national embarrassment. Earlier this week, federal lawyers stayed charges against the four "ringleaders" of a "homegrown terror" group that police and security officials once insisted with great fanfare were the spiritual and ideological architects of sinister plans to launch terrorist attacks in this country.

The media dubbed the gang "The Toronto 18." The catalogue of crimes they were apparently poised to unleash was astonishing. The plans included storming Parliament Hill, beheading the Prime Minister and seizing control of CBC's Toronto headquarters to issue a jihadist manifesto.

Source: TheSpec.com - 17-apr-08 

Source: Toronto Star - 6-apr-08

In the end, his charges were stayed. 'The authorities ruined my brother's future, his reputation and abused him physically and psychologically – all for, according to them, absolutely no reason'

It's been nearly two years since the raid on our house, since the day they took my brother and another relative. Since that day, my family and I have lived in silence. It's an emotional topic for me and talking about it means reliving that pain all over again. But I feel obliged to let Canadians know about our experience and what we continue to experience each and every single day.

Source: Global Research - 3-Apr-08

Feels like June 2nd all over again

The trial of the only remaining youth in the Toronto 18 case commenced last week in a Brampton courtroom. The new details disclosed in the Crown factum filed in the case elicited depressingly new emotional lows in all of the accused and their families. Reminiscent of that fateful day in June, 2006, the media sensationalism started all over again, with the reporting of incomplete evidence and outrageous headlines. Having attended the entire preliminary hearing, I must confess my shock and disbelief at the fact that these allegations continue to be presented in a manner which precludes the public from seeing a complete or accurate picture.

26-mar-08 Special to captiveincanada.com

Again...the media, this time led by the Toronto Star, has took the bait of the prosecution, who partially removed the ban, with the start of the trial of the youths to allow for the so-called evidence he presented in the first day to be published. Again, they pollute the public opinion by showing the government, and only the government, views. So, after 22 months of silence from the media, the first come back is to destroy the credibility of these people, by presenting the other side of the story, in detail, as if they are showing facts.

It is the sequel of the circus that was put up on June 03, 2006, where the government wants to use the dumb media to hype the public opinion against the accused. Then, the matter dies away again and no evidence from the defense is shown.