Factsheet: Maher Arar and Extraordinary Rendition

In 2002, Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen, was detained at a U.S. airport on his way home from a family trip. He was interrogated by U.S. officials about alleged links to al-Qaeda and was repeatedly denied the right to contact his family or a lawyer. He was then sent against his will to Syria, a country renowned for torture. Mr. Arar was interrogated, tortured and held in a grave-like cell in Syria during most of his year long detention. No country, including the U.S., has ever charged him with any crime.