Dark Days dramatic reading in Winnipeg, May 13

Dark Days dramatic reading in Winnipeg, May 13

“All of Canada’s Muslim communities live in the shadow of what happened to Maher Arar and these other Muslim men. Their stories have left many of us asking whether in Canada there are two tiers of citizenship, and two levels of democracy, depending on your name, your faith, or your family roots.”—Obby Khan

Author Kerry Pither is touring to Winnipeg for a dramatic reading from her book Dark Days: The Story of Four Canadians Tortured in the Name of Fighting Terror and will be joined on stage by local Winnipeg personalities Terry MacLeod, host of “Information Morning” on CBC Radio One 89.3 and Ibrahim (Obby) Khan, Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive lineman #60.

Dark Days tells the story of a Canadian national security investigation gone wrong through the eyes of four of its targets: Ahmad El Maati, Abdullah Almalki, Maher Arar and Muayyed Nureddin. The book chronicles how all four men were accused of terrorist links, detained overseas and subjected to brutal torture while being interrogated with questions from Canadian agencies. No evidence was ever produced to back the allegations against them and all were eventually released and returned to Canada.

“Most Canadians know about Maher Arar, but few know the extent to which there was a pattern behind his case — that what happened to him happened to at least three other Canadians too,” said Pither.

“All of these men are still working for justice, to clear their names and move on with their lives. For Arar, it’s waiting for the Obama administration to accept responsibilty for its role and clear his name, and for El Maati, Almalki and Nureddin it’s about waiting for an apology from the Canadian government for its role in their ordeals,” said Pither. “And for all of us, it’s about ensuring the changes are made to stop this from happening again.”

Since Dark Days was published last fall, the Iacobucci Inquiry’s report into the El Maati, Almalki and Nureddin cases has corroborated Pither’s account of Canadian complicity in torture.

Pither’s book, shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award last week, has received high praise in Canada and from around the world. Best-selling spy-master John Le Carré, whose most recent work A Most Wanted Man was praised as “one of the most sophisticated fictional responses to the war on terror yet published”(The Guardian, UK), says of Pither’s Dark Days: “Sober, well written and horrific. Grit your teeth and read. These are your rights too.”The Independent’s Robert Fisk, one of the world’s leading experts on the relationship between the West and the Middle East, says Pither’s book is “brilliant,” and a “must read.”

“All of Canada’s Muslim communities live in the shadow of what happened to Maher Arar and these other Muslim men,” said Khan. “Their stories have left many of us asking whether in Canada there are two tiers of citizenship, and two levels of democracy, depending on your name, your faith, or your family roots.”

“It’s exciting to have this event in Winnipeg to help spread awareness about what happened, and about what needs to be done to prevent this from happening again,” he added.

The dramatic reading, followed by a discussion and book signing, will take place at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at Eckhardt-Gramatte Hall at the University of Winnipeg.

Admission is free, thanks to local sponsors: Amnesty International - Winnipeg chapter; Canadian Federation of Students - Manitoba; Council of Canadians; CKUW 95.9 FM; Islamic Social Services Association Inc. - Canada; Mayworks; McNally Robinson Booksellers; Peace Alliance Winnipeg; University of Manitoba Student’s Union; University of Winnipeg Students Association.

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To request a review copy of Dark Days, or to arrange an interview with Kerry Pither from Ottawa or in Winnipeg, please contact Debbie Gaudet, Senior Publicity Manager, at Penguin Group (Canada) on (416) 928-2410 or see www.kerrypither.com/