Canadian imprisoned in UAE since 2014 appears to have been tortured

A Canadian businessman Salim Alaradi imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since August of 2014 appears to have been tortured. Canadian officials saw the evidence of the torture during a consular visit in January of 2015.

 

Alaradi has been imprisoned without charge in the UAE since being arrested in August of 2014. The family shared the evidence that Alaradi was tortured with Amnesty International. The evidence viewed by The Globe and Mail showed torture marks on Alaradi's body that were apparently observed and documented during the January 2014 Canadian consular visit. Alex Neve of Amnesty International said:

 “We’ve now seen evidence that makes it very clear that Salim has indeed been subjected to torture. It gives rise to a very strong indication that Canadian officials have been aware of the torture and ill treatment he’s been through since [last] January.”

The Alaradi family said consular officials did inform them about general health concerns they had about Alaradi but they made no mention of torture. While the family wished to bring the case to public attention they did not want to go into details due to fear for Alaradi's safety. There is a website on Facebook devoted to having Alaradi freed.

Alaradi has now been in custody 17 months without being charged. His family live in Windsor, Ontario. In September, they hired Ottawa lawyer Paul Champ to assist them in having Alaradi released and returned to Canada.Champ claims that the Canadian government knew that Alaradi was tortured but did not tell the family until he became involved in the case. Champ said:

"In some cases, the Department [of Foreign Affairs] will try to suggest that there's privacy issues, but this isn't the kind of information that they should be withholding, in my opinion. Although it's very difficult information, it's information that, in my opinion, a family deserves to know."

The Globe and Mail reported that a representative of the Department of Foreign Affairs acknowledged Alaradi's case but would not comment on whether the torture allegations were credible.

Alaradi was one of 10 businessmen of Libya origin who were arrested between August and September of 2014 by officers of UAE state security. The UAE is a strong supporter of the internationally-recognized House of Representatives(HoR) government in eastern Libya and of their CIA-linked armed forces commander General Khalifa Haftar. They oppose the rival government in Tripoli. The UAE may have been trying to recruit business people with connections to the Tripoli-controlled area as spies. Recently, a UAE national was arrested by the Tripoli government on charges of spying. Alaradi was not the only Canadian arrested.

Refat Hadagha, a 47-year-old former resident of Surrey, B.C. claims also to have been detained. In an interview from Istanbul Turkey by phone he said: “I don’t know why I was kidnapped, why I was tortured, why I was released.” He said judging by his own experiences Alaradi was also probably tortured.

Alaradi and his brother Mohamed ran a home-appliance business in Dubai. On being arrested they were interrogated about different Libyan political groups. The Alaradi family claims their father does not belong to any political group. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Forced Disappearance has asked to visit Libyan detainees and investigate accusations of torture.

Alaradi's brother Mohamed along with Hadagha and 2 others began to speak out about their mistreatment after they were arbitrarily released from Abu Dhabi prison. They were released and deported to Turkey without any explanation in December of 2014. Mohamed said: “I could hear my brother’s screams. UAE Security would say, ‘Do you hear these sounds? We’re beating your brother while he’s hanging from the ceiling.’”Mohamed was held in solitary confinement for months and claims he was tortured. He has been working along with his brother's family to secure Salim's freedom. Mohamed thinks that he and the others were released because their torture marks were healed and virtually disappeared.

Mohamed and three others were released and deported to Turkey for reasons unknown in December, 2014. No charges were ever laid. In an interview, Mohamed said he suspects they were released because their torture marks had healed and disappeared by that point, leaving no evidence of the abuse. Alex Neve of Amnesty International was critical of the Canadian government: “Given the amount of time that has passed and the direct information Canadian officials had, this case should have been lodged at the highest levels of the Canadian government and become a preoccupying concern for the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister."

The family lawyer, Paul Champ, said that consular visits have gone from three during the first year of Alaradi's incarceration to almost weekly since mid-October.The website of Canada's embassy to the UAE claims that Canada's excellent relations with the UAE are "founded upon substantial commercial ties and mutual goals of peace and prosperity". What's a little torture here and there compared to the importance of maintaining trade and good relations?

Daughter of Canadian imprisoned without charge in UAE wants help from Justin Trudeau

Salim Alaradi was among 10 business men detained by UAE authorities in August and September of last year. Human Rights Watch asked UAE authorities to investigate accusations from three former detainees that they were tortured by state security officers.

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Human Rights Watch reported that the former detainees claimed they had been beaten, subject to forced standing, and threats to rape, kill, and electrocute. Salim Alaradi remains among six still held incommunicado in detention. He has not been charged with any offence.

Marwa Alaradi, just 18, has published the appended video appealing directly to Trudeau to call on the UAE to release her father. She said to CBC: "This is not the case of a criminal. This is a human rights case and an injustice has been done to my family. My father has been kidnapped, tortured and interrogated and he's had no charges."She said that her father did receive a visit from a Canadian Embassy official in the UAE who said that her father's health is deteriorating. She urged Canadian officials to act to help a Canadian citizen who was being treated quite badly. Alaradi was born in Libya but emigrated to Canada from the UAE with his family in the 1990s. They lived in Windsor. However in 2007 he returned to the UAE to open an appliance business with his brother.

Another Canadian Refat Hadagha, one of the 10 imprisoned, has come forward to tell his story to the Globe and Mail. He is a former resident of Surrey BC. He was freed back in December 2014 but kept quiet until now out of fear. He said he felt he must speak out now and can no longer remain silent. Hadagha said: “I don’t know why I was kidnapped, why I was tortured, why I was released.” In early September of last year he was driving with his family when his car was blocked and plainclothes officers dragged him away to a secret prison. Hadagha described his questioning:"The first time I was brought into the interrogation room, I remember clearly standing in the room blindfolded. I heard a man running full speed, and then I was punched with full force on my neck, knocking me to the ground, and then they tied me up and started to continuously beat me,”Hadagha said that he heard other detainees screaming and recognized one voice as that of Alaradi, who was a friend.

Hadagha said he was questioned about Libyan political groups, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, which is designated as a terrorist organization in the UAE. Hadagha said he could not answer most of the questions. He belongs to no political party. The officers tried to coerce him into becoming an informant and when he refused they punched him, kicked him, beat him with a stick, and whipped him. Given the chaotic situation in Libya his family contacted Canadian officials. An official was able to meet him but in another building. He was kept a considerable distance from the Canadian diplomat. The consular official told Hadagha that he had permission to confirm his identity and that Hadagha should tell him his name. Hadagha did and that was the end of the visit.

A spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada, Rachna Mishna, said the department had raised concerns about Hadagha's well-being with UAE officials but even after repeated requests were made, Canadian officials were not granted full and sustained access to Mr. Hadagha. She said that in the cases of Hadagha and Mr. Alaradi: “Canada takes allegations of mistreatment extremely seriously." There is plenty of evidence of mistreatment, perhaps the new Liberal government will take further action to try and have Alaradi released.