OTTAWA — More than 100 legal professionals are asking Canada to suspend its extradition treaty with France over concerns “an innocent man” could face trial there in a terrorism case.
In May, a French court upheld a decision directing Ottawa sociology professor Hassan Diab to stand trial in the decades-old bombing of a Paris synagogue.
Born in Lebanon, Diab became a Canadian citizen in 1993, working in Ottawa as a university teacher.
The RCMP arrested him in November 2008 in response to a request by France.
French authorities suspected Diab was involved in the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue that killed four people and injured dozens of others, an accusation he has always denied.
In a letter made public today, dozens of lawyers and other legal professionals call on the Liberal government to urge France to put an immediate end to what they call a continuing miscarriage of justice.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2021.
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
