Testimony At Arar Inquiry
During his June 15, 2005 testimony at the inquiry into Maher Arar's deportation and imprisonment, Pillarella claimed he had no conclusive reason to believe Arar was being tortured, and admitted to accepting the word of Syrian officials that he was not.
He further claimed that he had no reason to think that human rights abuses were occurring in Syria during his term as ambassador, claiming that "I did not have any indication that there were serious human rights abuses committed, that I could verify."
These statements prompted widespread shock and incredulity in Canadian media. Paul Heinbecker, former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, stated that Syria's human rights abuses were well known and well documented by many sources.
Read more about this topic: Franco Pillarella
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