Crown loses bid to have security officials testify in lawsuit behind closed doors
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/09/2024 (740 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
OTTAWA – The Crown has lost a bid to have several current and former security officials testify behind closed doors in the lawsuit of a Montreal man who was detained in Sudan.
Federal Court Justice Patrick Gleeson has rejected a motion from government lawyers to exclude the public and media from the courtroom during the officials’ testimony to prevent inadvertent disclosure of sensitive secrets.
The decision comes less than a month before the court hears the case of Abousfian Abdelrazik, who is suing the Canadian government for $27 million over his detention abroad.
Abousfian Abdelrazik looks on during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. The Crown has lost a bid to have several current and former security officials testify behind closed doors in the lawsuit of a Montreal man who was detained in Sudan. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
In his ruling, Gleeson says the evidence fails to meet the high bar that a party seeking to limit the open court principle must satisfy.
In a second decision, Gleeson granted an order designating four current or former Canadian Security Intelligence Service employees as protected witnesses, allowing them to testify using a pseudonym and to take steps to protect their physical appearance.
They would swear an oath or affirm with their real names only in the presence of a judicial officer, and be permitted to enter and leave the court building via an alternate entrance.
Abdelrazik, 62, arrived in Canada as a refugee in 1990. He became a Canadian citizen five years later.
He was arrested during a 2003 visit to Sudan to see family. In custody, Abdelrazik was interrogated by CSIS about suspected extremist links. He says he was tortured by Sudanese intelligence officials during two periods of detention.
Abdelrazik denies involvement in terrorism.
Federal lawyers reject suggestions the Crown breached any duty of care owed to Abdelrazik or that any such breach contributed to his alleged false imprisonment, torture and abuse.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2024.