An event scheduled for this evening in Montreal will
proceed even though the main speaker, ex-Guantanamo detainee Moazzam
Begg, has been blocked from participating in person. Apparently acting
on a phone call from the Canadian High Commission in London, Air Canada
refused to allow Mr. Begg to board a flight to Canada, where he was
scheduled to speak at events in Toronto, Edmonton and Montreal.
"It is very important that the event go ahead tonight, though Mr.
Begg will not be present. It is a way of saying that Moazzam Begg and
our voices of dissent will not be silenced. It is also a way of
denouncing such arbitrary and abusive practices. We see this incident as
further evidence of the political repression that landed Mr. Begg in
Guantánamo Bay for two years and in Bagram for another year, only to be
released without charge, explanation, or compensation." said Mary Foster of the People's Commission Network, one of the groups endorsing the event.
"Who is responsible for this? Canadian officials reportedly pointed
the finger at the Americans. But who shared the passenger list with
Canadian and American authorities? And who decided to apply American
rules to a flight that doesn't even cross American airspace?" asked Foster.
