Deferring to Civilized Justice

"Much of the evidence that will be tendered at (Sher's) trial directly involves the Intervenors (Alizadeh and Ahmed.) Specifically, the evidence tendered at (Sher's) trial will include intercepted communications of the Intervenors, physical items seized from the Intervenors, and surveillance of their activity."
Notice of Application filed to Ottawa court

A court sketch shows Khurram Sher during an appearance in Ottawa on Aug. 28, 2010, on a charge related to what the RCMP say was a domestic terrorism plot. ((Sarah Wallace/CBC))

Khurram Sher is a Muslim Canadian who lived and worked in London, Ontario as a pathologist. He was arrested following an eleven month investigation that took place between September 2009 and August 2010, along with two other men. Another of the arrested was Misbahuddin Ahmed, an X-ray technologist at The Ottawa Hospital. Along with Hiva Alizadeh who studied electrical engineering at Red River College in Winnipeg, and more latterly lived in Ottawa.

Following their arrest in 2010, investigators are said to have seized over fifty electronic circuit boards designed for the purpose of triggering improvised explosive devices remotely, in a search of their various homes. They also found videos, schematics, drawings and manuals helpfully describing the construction of IEDs. Evidence existed that one of the group had also received training explicit to building and detonating those devices.

Most undeniably alarming was that these highly educated Canadian men who were practising Muslims who decided to cast their lot in with violent jihad were planning their IED construction for use within Canada. RCMP Chief Supt. Serge Therriault said at the time of their arrest that investigators were of the opinion the three men were involved with a Canadian terrorist group with links to international terrorism.

Now if nothing else could jolt Canadians out of their traditional sense of placid contentment, surely that intelligence information spelled out for public consumption would. The trial of the first of the three men, Khurram Sher, is set to begin on February 10, and likely continue to March 7. Federal prosecutors, in the interests of justice for all, wish to prevent almost everything, all evidence involved in the trial, from becoming public; to remain banned for public viewing until the trial has concluded.

The reason is simple enough; the other two men's trials are expected to commence in April. And it is feared that revelations of the content of the evidence will impair their right under the Constitution to a fair trial. Lawyers for both Alizadeh and Ahmed favour the ban, as noted in the application. Such a complete publication ban will necessitate that prosecutors demonstrate the necessity of the ban to protect the fairness of trial proceedings for the two successive defendants.

The Government of Canada is bending over backwards to ensure that the rights of three men who plotted to conduct violently destructive attacks within Canada are not slighted in any measure. A most commendable act of merciful justice in action. Had those three men succeeded in their vicious plots their infamy in Canadian historical annals would have been well assured.

As it is, they await complete, unassailable revelations leading to a guilty verdict, at which time all details will be freely published.

This nicety of civilized reproach to the uncivilized barbarism of the psychopathy that drives Islamist jihad and the terrorists who subscribe to it, makes very little impression upon those whose minds have been utterly swept clean of humanity, and see no value in endorsing any actions other than terrorism.