Ex-Guantanamo detainee sues Canada over 14-year ordeal of detention and torture
The Toronto Star speaks to Louis Century about the $35-million lawsuit we have filed against the federal government on behalf of Mohamedou Ould Slahi
Goldblatt Partners represents Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian national who was detained and tortured at Guantanamo for 14 years. In 1999-2000, Mohamedou was a Canadian permanent resident living in Montreal and was falsely implicated in the so-called Millennium Plot to bomb the LA International Airport. The claim alleges Canadian government complicity in what happened to Mohamedou and seeks accountability. The Toronto Star spoke to Louis Century about the case:
“If the (Trudeau) government is serious about combating Islamophobia, as it says it is, then that cannot be done without accountability in cases like this,” argues Slahi’s Toronto lawyer, Louis Century. “The fundamental cause of Islamophobia in the first place, is the actions by state security agencies that vilified Muslim communities and created fear and hostility toward Muslim people … we need to have this kind of truth-seeking process.”
What makes Slahi’s claim a slightly different legal test for the courts from previous cases is the fact that he was a permanent resident, not a citizen, while living in Canada. But Century argues that Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms still applies.
“The majority of the conduct being challenged took place while Mohamedou was physically present in Canada, and/or while CSIS and RCMP officials were operating in Canada, sharing flawed information about Mohamedou,” Century said, adding that Canada’s actions also violated other legal obligations, including not condoning or being complicit in torture.