Several media organizations, including The Associated Press, are asking an appeals court to lift a news blackout on a terrorism case that one lawyer says includes charges of a plot to storm Canada's parliament.
Authorities announced the arrest of 17 suspects in June 2006 after they allegedly tried to obtain three tonnes of ammonium nitrate. They accused the suspects of plotting terror attacks in southern Ontario and said they were inspired by al-Qaeda.
One defense lawyer has said his client and some of the other suspects were charged with plotting to attack parliament, take hostages and possibly behead the prime minister if their demands for the release of Muslim prisoners were not met.
His comments caused widespread concern and heightened terrorism fears in Canada.
Since then, five of the suspects have been released on bail pending trial. The press is not allowed to report why.
A judge in 2006 imposed the restriction on news coverage of the ongoing bail hearings of the 17 suspects. Journalists may observe the hearings, but may not report on them.
Canada's criminal code allows judges to bar the publication of details of bail hearings if the accused requests a ban.
Lawyers for The Associated Press, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp, CTV television and the Toronto Star appealed the blackout before Ontario's Court of Appeal on Tuesday and Wednesday.
They argued the media are surrogates for the public in the courtroom and have an obligation to report on the allegations facing the 17 suspects.
Paul Schabas, one of the lawyers representing the media, told the panel of five judges that the public should be told why the suspects were released.
"Law enforcement officials, in announcing the arrests, stated that the accused posed `real and serious threat,' were planning a `terrorist attack' and that the accused were `adherents of a violent ideology inspired by al-Qaeda,'" Schabas said in a court document. "Despite this, five of the accused have now been ordered released. The police are not saying anything. The public has a right to know why this has occurred."
Most of the lawyers for the suspects want the ban to stay in place. Some said news coverage could bias potential jurors. Others said challenging a publication ban would be an unfair burden for suspects while they are trying to win their release.
Heavy rain and strong winds yesterday disrupted flights, trains and ferries, forcing the closure of roads across large parts of New Zealand’s North Island, while snapping power links to tens of thousands. Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington, the capital, although cancelations were still widespread after airport authorities said most morning flights were disrupted. Air New Zealand said it hoped to resume services when conditions ease later yesterday, after it paused operations at Wellington, Napier and Palmerston North airports. Online images showed flooded semi-rural neighborhoods, inundated homes, trees fallen on vehicles and collapsed
FRAYED: Strains between the US-European ties have ruptured allies’ trust in Washington, but with time, that could be rebuilt, the Michigan governor said China is providing crucial support for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and could end the war with a phone call, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said. “China could call [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow and cut off his dual-purpose technologies that they’re selling,” Whitaker said during a Friday panel at the Munich Security Conference. “China could stop buying Russian oil and gas.” “You know, this war is being completely enabled by China,” the US envoy added. Beijing and Moscow have forged an even tighter partnership since the start of the war, and Russia relies on China for critical parts
Two sitting Philippine senators have been identified as “coperpetrators” in former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC), documents released by prosecutors showed. Philippine senators Ronald Dela Rosa and Christopher Go are among eight current and former officials named in a document dated Feb. 13 and posted to the court’s Web site. ICC prosecutors have charged Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders as part of his “war on drugs.” “Duterte and his coperpetrators shared a common plan or agreement to ‘neutralize’ alleged criminals in the Philippines
In a softly lit Shanghai bar, graduate student Helen Zhao stretched out both wrists to have her pulse taken — the first step to ordering the house special, a bespoke “health” cocktail based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). “TCM bars” have popped up in several cities across China, epitomizing what the country’s stressed-out, time-poor youth refer to as “punk wellness,” or “wrecking yourself while saving yourself.” At Shanghai’s Niang Qing, a TCM doctor in a white coat diagnoses customers’ physical conditions based on the pulse readings, before a mixologist crafts custom drinks incorporating the herbs and roots prescribed for their ailments.
RSS