Posted on 06/12/2006 7:27:41 PM PDT by traumer
Lawyers acting for a group of Canadian terror suspects have complained about a media blackout on court proceedings.
Speaking after 14 of the 17 suspects appeared at a bail hearing in Brampton, Ontario, they said it was indicative that the men cannot get a fair trial.
Details of the charges they face have not been published but their lawyers say they include an alleged plot to storm parliament and behead the PM.
The accusations against the men, most Canadians, has caused nationwide shock.
Citizens' rights
Rocco Galati, representing one of the suspects, who include five teenagers, complained that the men were being harshly treated.
"They have five minutes to eat their meals or they are taken away," he said.
"The accused are not aliens from another planet. They are Canadians accused under the Criminal Code. No more, no less," he added.
Equipment seized by police during the raid Police seized an array of bomb-making materials
There were chaotic scenes outside the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton last week when charges were brought against the accused, as family members were jostled in the media scrum.
Detailed charges have not been released but a defence lawyer said they ranged from plots to blow up parliament buildings to attacks on media outlets to press demands that Canadian forces be withdrawn from Afghanistan.
One suspect was accused of wanting to behead the prime minister, an allegation defence lawyers said was "scare-mongering".
Identity in the dock
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced on 2 June that it had foiled an alleged bombing campaign in and around Toronto which the Canadian intelligence agency described as "al-Qaeda-inspired".
In a series of raids, officers arrested 15 of the suspects and seized what they described as bomb-making material, including three metric tons of ammonium nitrate.
Officials said the group "posed a real and serious threat" with "the capacity and intent to carry out these attacks".
As well as the 14 accused due in court on Monday, another suspect is scheduled for a hearing on 4 July. The other two are already in prison on unrelated weapons charges.
All of the accused are Muslim and most of them are Canadian citizens. The allegations have raised testing questions for Canadians over their country's identity and tolerance, says the BBC's Daniel Lak in Toronto.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper held a closed-door meeting with Muslim community leaders at the weekend to discuss the impact of the arrests.
There have been fears of a backlash. A Toronto mosque was vandalised after the arrests were announced and on Friday a prominent imam was attacked outside his mosque in Montreal by a man carrying a knife.
Wake up Canada !
There is no free lunch....
Don't they ALWAYS black out criminal trials in Canada?
They finally used the word "muslim" in the 3rd to last paragraph.
And, per the Muslim playbook, they're claiming that they're being "tortured"....
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1150149009497&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154
Has Murtha come out to back the 17 yet?
Given what the 17 have been accused of so far, I don't see how a media blackout could do anything but help them. Their own defense lawyers raised the beheading the PM charge in the media - I still can't figure out why.
In any event, a Toronto-area court-ordered news blackout is usually only as stringent as the Buffalo News wants it to be.
Sadly, Canada seems to be discovering their very own Guantanamo.
Crying mistreatment and torture is SOP for these cretins of terror.
I don't know what cases Canada usually puts a blackout on...but I know
this one got a blackout:
http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/bernardo/homolka_jump_page.html
IIRC, the Canadian authorities were even PO'ed that people could pick up
American newspapers that had some info. about the case when they made
daytrips to the USA.
It's been awhile, but I think that Canadian Customs either confiscated American
newspapers (or threatened to) that contained the info. on the case.
From the noise being made by the Left, you think they'd wish the terrorists hadn't been apprehended and had been successful in executing their plan... and the Prime Minister.
The accusations against the men,most Canadians has caused nation wide shock.
Thank heaven I must live on a different planet. Tim Hortons takes it's usual heavy duty rush Monday morning- self included. Citizens glance up at the skies. Global warming absent in most of Ontario. Even frost forecast two days ago- did not materialise. Though it was about 38 deg fahr. Shock I tell you. (laughs).
This tactic repeated again and again. Scream blue murder. I believe it is par for the course. A Maher Arar, is suing the USA for deporting him to Syria in 2002. He was on route to Canada from Tunis. He deplaned at New York. The Americans sent him to his native country- Syria.
His description of ten months solitary confinement in a three feet by six feet cell, with seven foot head room is heart rending. His claims of torture, abominable. A week back in Canada and he seemed to be one fine, healthy good lookin' dude.
Even serial killers Bernardo and Homulka, did not complain about prison treatment, before trial.
a fair trial can never happen in the media circus of public opinion.
yeah Canada!
Well at least that is an improvement....
As with the Bernardo trial, and Adscam, we have to get the news from you fine folks. Go USA!
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