French appeal of Hassan Diab release reportedly delayed

In June 2011, Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Maranger committed Diab for extradition despite acknowledging the case against him was weak. The following year, then-justice minister Rob Nicholson signed an extradition order surrendering Diab to France.

The Ontario Court of Appeal upheld both decisions and the Supreme Court of Canada declined to review the matter.

Diab’s supporters have long argued he was in Beirut — not Paris — when the attack took place and that his fingerprints, palm prints, physical description and age did not match those of the suspect identified in 1980.

In November 2014, Diab — who is back in Canada with his family — was sent to France, where he was held in solitary confinement for up to 22 hours a day. In January, French judges dismissed the allegations against Diab and ordered his immediate release.

Late Thursday, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said former Ontario chief prosecutor Murray Segal would lead an external review of Diab’s extradition.

Wilson-Raybould asked for an independent review of the extradition at the end of May to focus on whether the Extradition Act was followed in this case and if there are specific concerns that need to be addressed with regard to Canada’s extradition treaty with France.

The justice minister said Segal “will be given the tools, access and discretion necessary to conduct a thorough and independent review of the case.”

The sociology professor and his supporters have been urging the federal government to hold a full public inquiry into the case and to reform the Extradition Act to ensure individual rights are respected.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

French appeal of Hassan Diab release reportedly delayed

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