Human Rights A Day

RCMP raids home of journalist Juliet O’Neill, prompting widespread condemnation. Ottawa Citizen reporter Juliet O’Neill was writing about the imprisonment and torture of Canadian Maher Arar, who spent a year in a Syrian prison after being detained in the United States and sent to Syria due to information given to them by Canadian officials. The issue became more than just an embarrassment for the Canadian government as questions arose about the information Canadian officials had given the U.S. In the end, Arar was exonerated with an apology and an $11.5 million settlement from the Canadian government. On January 21, 2004, 10 RCMP officers raided O’Neill’s home, taking copies of her computer files along with notebooks, address books and other documents. They were investigating a possible breach of the Security of Information Act and implicating O’Neill in criminal activity. Worldwide condemnation by organizations devoted to freedom of the press followed immediately. PEN Canada for Freedom of Expression express