Dark Days by Kerry Pither

This book should be read by all Canadians. Brilliantly researched and well-written, Dark Days tells the story of four men – Maher Arar, Ahmad El Maati, Abdullah Almalki and Muayyed Nureddin – who were detained in Syria, and then tortured, after being subject to investigation by Canadian police and security officials. In the case of El Maati, after spending over two months in Syria, he was transferred to Egypt where he was again tortured while being held in detention for 24 months.

Maher Arar has become a household name in Canada after a public inquiry found that he was falsely accused of being involved in terrorism. According to a report released in 2006 by Justice Dennis O'Connor, who headed an inquiry into Arar’s case, the RCMP passed on information to U.S. authorities that was, “inaccurate, portrayed him in an unfairly negative fashion and overstated his importance in the RCMP investigation.” This information, the report concluded, “very likely” led to the arrest of Arar at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York in September 2002, before being deported to Jordan, and then Syria, where he was repeatedly tortured. The Government of Canada later apologized to Arar and compensated him with more than $10 million.

The Arar story by itself is outrageous. But what is even more horrific is that at least three other men were detained overseas and subject to torture. A report released in 2008 by former Supreme Court of Canada justice Frank Iacobucci, who headed an inquiry into the men’s detention, concluded that the three men were tortured. The report also concluded that:

* The actions of the RCMP and CSIS indirectly led to the torture of El Maati;

* "Two actions of the RCMP" indirectly led to the torture of Almalki; and

* Certain instances of information sharing by CSIS and RCMP officials indirectly led to the torture of Nureddin.

In June 2009, the House of Commons public safety committee recommended that Canada formally apologize and compensate the three men.

5 out of 5 stars