When rights are abused

[CHIMO]

Civil liberties and the rule of law should not be sacrificed in the name of counter-terrorism and state security, speakers told a McGill University conference.

"I don't think you need to torture people or hold people indefinitely without trial to achieve security goals," said Montreal-based human rights lawyer Pearl Eliades at a symposium on counterterrorism and human rights organized by the university's law faculty. "This results in the long term in a disintegration of the social fabric. You can't have security without justice."

Canadian security forces have been complicit in such violations by sharing information with countries that systematically indulge in them, said Paul Champ, who specializes in civil rights law and has represented, among others, Canadian Omar Khadr, who was charged with terrorist activity by the U.S. and subjected to torture at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

"Unfortunately, the U.S. as a country that respects the rule of law, or used to respect the rule of law, is no more the country that we used to know," he said. "In my case, the Canadian passport was not respected. It's time we reconsidered our partnership."
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/When+rights+abused/2648334/story.html