We want to use the power of the documentary form to tell the story of our friend Dr. Hassan Diab [pictured left], a Canadian academic who is at serious risk of a wrongful conviction for a crime he did not commit.
Hassan was extradited to France in November 2014, where he is expected to stay in pretrial detention for at least two years. In France, Hassan is subjected to an unjust legal process where discredited handwriting analysis and unsourced intelligence are used against him.
We would like to make a good quality documentary for online sharing and public showings to spread the word far and wide about the injustices in Hassan’s case. We hope this documentary will help raise awareness about Hassan’s case and Canada’s unfair extradition law, stop the use of discredited evidence against Hassan, and prevent his wrongful conviction.
Hassan’s Kafkaesque Case:
- Imagine one day you are approached by a foreign journalist who informs you that you are under investigation for a crime that you know nothing about…
- Imagine spending a year of your life being intensively surveilled and aggressively followed by mysterious people…
- Imagine being arrested one year later and thrown into solitary confinement
- Imagine that the “smoking gun” evidence against you is totally flawed handwriting analysis based on just five words written in block letters…
- Imagine that the case against you is allowed to continue even after it becomes known that many of the writings that were “matched” to those of the suspect are not even yours…
- Imagine not being allowed to enter into evidence the fact that your palm and fingerprints don’t match those presumed to be from the suspect…
- Imagine that the discredited “evidence” is used against you and that you are extradited and thrown in prison thousands of miles away from your family, friends, and community…
It can’t be true, but it is! Thanks to Canada’s unfair extradition law, citizens are shipped to other countries based on the flimsiest evidence that is not accepted in Canadian court, including to countries that rely on secret and unsourced intelligence.
Hassan Diab Support Committee
We aim to raise CAD $15,000 to cover the expense of making the documentary. Donations in excess of this amount will go towards Hassan’s legal defence.
Please donate to our crowdfunding campaign and help us publicise it!
Email: [email protected]
Notes:
“Canada’s extradition law: A legal conundrum”, by Chris Cobb, Ottawa Citizen, November 14, 2014
