Sampson blasts embassy officials - Saudi Arabia bombings

[dArKeR]

William Sampson accused the Canadian government on Thursday of sacrificing him to political expediency by refusing to condemn publicly the Saudi justice system and by offering little or no support as he endured torture and was sentenced to death.

In testimony before a House of Commons committee, Mr. Sampson said that Ottawa let him down during his imprisonment and then, after he was released, reneged on a promise to cover his medical bills, only days before he was scheduled to have heart surgery.

“I do not feel that, throughout my long incarceration, I was at all supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs. ... I was fighting alone, in solitary confinement, because of the behaviour of your officials,” he said.

Mr. Sampson was arrested in Saudi Arabia after a series of bombings that Riyadh attributed to foreign bootleggers, but which others said were caused by Islamist rebels. Beaten repeatedly, he is still undergoing regular medical treatment three months after his release.

http://theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031106.wsamp1106_2/BNStory/National/

[Maple]

1. I have heard

more than enough from Mr Sampson.

Next time, we'll leave him there.

[LeftistGorilla]

2. *ouch*

What does Arar case say about Canada?
Did our politicians and media react differently to Arar than William Sampson, who was tortured in Saudi Arabia?


http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1068073811429&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795

[0007]

5. Your kidding, 'eh?

Are you from Canada?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

7. There's something very strange about Sampson...

I'm not quite sure what it is, but I'm willing to bet it was there before Saudi Arabia. He seems quite creepy. Definitely an Alliance voter. Still, our government was too busy sucking up to Saudi Arabia to care. Creep or not, the Saudi's owe us answers. Torture is brutal and vicious and SA authorities are very fond of it.

[dArKeR]

3. Graham vows to review Sampson file

Ottawa — Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham vowed Friday to review troubling allegations raised by William Sampson, who was jailed and tortured in Saudi Arabia, but side-stepped demands for a public inquiry into his department's handling of the case.

“We want to look at what procedures we can improve within our department,” Mr. Graham told reporters in Ottawa before a meeting with Mr. Sampson.

“Obviously, there will be room for improvement. These are terrible experiences. We will be doing our best to improve our practices in our department. I intend to listen to Mr. Sampson as to what suggestions he has as to how we can better protect Canadians in the future.”

http://theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031108.wsamp08/BNStory/Front/

[Spazito]

4. He is one angry man! I think an investigation of what happened...

is in order, if only to ensure that all that should have been done, was done. I have heard conflicting reports on his behavior when a member of Parliament visited him while incarcerated so I don't know what to make of the whole thing.

[dArKeR]

6. Sampson threatens to sue Ottawa

A Canadian who says he was tortured in a Saudi Arabia prison warned Monday to sue Ottawa if the federal government does not hold a public inquiry into the diplomatic handling of cases like his.

William Sampson said he wanted the inquiry not just for himself, but for other Canadians who had suffered a similar fate – such as Maher Arar, who recently was released from a Saudi jail, or Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian who died in an Iranian jail.

Choking up several times during a press conference Monday in Ottawa, Mr. Sampson said he felt it was his duty to help those who “do not have anyone to act on their behalf. Do not have anyone to support them. Someone, somewhere, is screaming alone,” Mr. Sampson said.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031110.wsamp1110/BNStory/National/