Justice denied: What next?
Rendition victim Maher Arar talks about the US Supreme Court’s refusal to hear his appeal.
He is the world’s first and most well-known victim of secret renditions – the programme under which so-called terrorist suspects were sent to a third country for interrogation to avoid the US legal system.
Eight years ago, Canadian software engineer Maher Arar was wrongfully detained and deported to Syria where he was held and tortured for one year.
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He has been fighting the US courts to clear his name ever since.
But this month, the US Supreme Court refused to hear his case, closing his last legal avenue to sue the US officials who sent him, and prompting deep concerns about the wider implications for others seeking justice in similar cases.
On Thursday’s Riz Khan we will be talking to Maher Arar and his lawyer, Maria Lahood, to discuss what is next in his fight to clear his name and whether the court’s refusal to intervene marks a precedent in allowing the US government to skirt legal responsibility.
You can join the conversation. Call in with your questions and comments on Thursday, July 1, at our live time of 1630GMT. Repeats air at 2130GMT, and the next day at 0230GMT and 1130GMT.