Still listed

CTV reports that the U.S. is refusing to remove Maher Arar from its no-fly list based on "information obtained by U.S. authorities, independent of anything supplied by Canada" contained in the U.S.' "secret file". But while that claim eliminates from the equation the RCMP's information which proved to be so dubious based on the O'Connor report, there's no apparent indication that it also excludes the "confessions" which Arar was tortured into during his rendition.

Now, it could be that the U.S. does in fact have other information which would offer a relatively reasonable justification for keeping Arar on the list. But even if so, the Bush culture of secrecy and deceit can only lead people to be rightfully suspicious when the public face continues to be "trust us, but we won't tell you why". And in the absence of some credible statement as to why Arar and others are still being treated with suspicion (free of both any reliance on confessions obtained through torture, and any link to lawsuits related to rendition), it looks like there's still an awfully long way to go in the effort to secure justice for Arar and others.