Hassan Diab, an Ottawa sociology professor, has been found guilty of a 1980 bombing in Paris that killed four and injured 46 people. Despite his insistence on his innocence, a French court has sentenced him to life in prison and issued an arrest warrant for him. This has prompted his supporters in Canada to call on the Canadian government to refuse any new extradition requests from France.
Diab was tried in absentia in Paris and was extradited to France after a lengthy legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. He spent three years behind bars, including time in solitary confinement, before French judges dismissed the allegations against him in 2018 and allowed him to return to Canada.
However, in May 2021, a French court upheld a decision that Diab should stand trial, which his Canadian lawyer has called inexplicable. The renewed call for Canada to rebuff any new extradition requests from France is based on concerns that Diab’s extradition and trial have been marked by serious flaws and lack of due process, which could lead to an unjust outcome.
The case has generated significant controversy in Canada, with civil liberties groups and legal experts expressing concern about the potential implications for the extradition process and the protection of individual rights. The Canadian government has yet to respond to the renewed call to refuse any new extradition requests, but it is likely to face pressure to address these concerns and ensure that Diab receives a fair trial.