US and Canadian Immigration lawyer Andy Semotiuk: A piece about US/Canadian extradition caught my eye today:
An Iraqi-born Canadian man accused of helping to plan suicide bombings which left five American soldiers dead lost an appeal against his extradition to the United States on Monday.
Lawyers for Faruq Khalil Muhammad ‘Isa, who faces life in prison if eventually convicted, immediately vowed to take the case to the Supreme Court of Canada.
‘Isa was indicted in New York federal court in 2011 on charges of conspiracy to murder Americans in his native Iraq, and providing material support for terrorism.
He was arrested in Canada the same year and subsequently ordered extradited to the United States to face a trial.
‘Isa however appealed the decision.
He maintained that he was wrongly denied access to a lawyer or interpreter on the day of his arrest, and that his brother and others were tortured into giving false information about him.
The Alberta Court of Appeal in rejecting his appeal noted that the bulk of the evidence in the case was obtained from ‘Isa’s own statements to police, computer searches and wiretaps.
I happen to be from Alberta and know many of the judges on the Court of Appeal. They are some of the best legal minds and people of character in Canada.
Andy Semotiuk is a Canadian and US immigration lawyer with immigration law firm Pace Immigration. You can learn more about Andy at My Work Visa.