Congress apologizes to victim of rendition
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WASHINGTON — Members of Congress apologized Thursday to a Canadian engineer seized by U.S. officials and taken to Syria, where he says he was tortured.
Maher Arar said he was ensnared in an “immoral” terrorism-fighting program known as extraordinary rendition. The 37-year-old appeared by video from Canada before a joint hearing of House subcommittees.
“Let me personally give you what our government has not: an apology,” said Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.). “Let me apologize to you and the Canadian people for our government’s role in a mistake.”
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) also apologized but said he still supported the program.
Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian citizen, was detained by U.S. immigration agents on Sept. 26, 2002, as he stopped over in New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on the way home from a vacation. Days later, he was sent by private jet to Syria where, according to Canadian officials, he was tortured.
“Life in that cell was hell. I spent 10 months and 10 days in that grave,” Arar said.
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