While Gerald Caplan details his outrage, Paul Koring raises new questions about this country’s treatment of Abousfian Abdelrazik. Last month, Ben Peterson raised a question that may soon be operative here too: should we consider prosecuting any Canadian officials complicit in torture?
Yes, high-level arrests could spark political controversy. But bypassing the law for fear of a backlash is cowardly and counterproductive. It would, in the long run, weaken our collective ability to fight for justice in the face of tyranny. It would undermine the rule of law. While the prosecution of high-level officials should never be encouraged, if they broke the law, they broke the law. Surely our democracy is strong enough to withstand the fallout…
Perhaps, once the staggering factual and legal complexities involved are sorted through, it will be determined that no Canadian officials should be prosecuted. I hope that’s the case. But these mazes should be navigated not with an eye for history alone, but also to potentially prosecute those involved.
