Sampson slams MP's "help"

A former Richmond resident has criticized a Canadian MP who intervened on his behalf to get him freed from a Saudi Arabian jail in 2003. William Sampson, author of the new book Confessions of an Innocent Man: Torture and Survival in a Saudi Prison (McClelland & Stewart, $35), was released after 31 months in captivity. This came shortly after Liberal MP Dan McTeague obtained a letter from the son of Sampson's alleged victim, Christopher Rodway.

McTeague said at the time that under Islamic law as practised in Saudi Arabia, a death sentence can be commuted if the eldest son forgives the perpetrator of the crime. The Saudi embassy in Canada has claimed that the letter obtained by McTeague played a role in Sampson's release from jail.

Sampson, however, told the Georgia Straight in a telephone interview that he was freed following negotiations between the Saudis and the British, American, and Belgian governments over the release of prisoners in different countries. Speaking on the eve of his visit to Vancouver on November 23, Sampson said that each of the western countries had foreign nationals in Saudi jails. He claimed that five Saudis were released in May 2003, and he and the other westerners obtained their freedom the following August.

Sampson said the Belgian government confirmed the negotiations in 2004. "The British officials and American officials, on guarantee of anonymity, have also confirmed it," he said. "It was a done deal, although the Canadian government still denies it." He added that the British government knew about the use of letters from family members to obtain clemency, but claimed it wasn't appro--priate in his case. Sampson said that was because it would have involved admitting his involvement in secondary accusations that he and the other captives were British spies, which he said was not true.

"Therefore, the appearance of that letter at the time...actually interfered with the hostage-exchange negotiations, which made the major parties involved somewhat annoyed about the fact," Sampson said. "Then I get out. He [McTeague] claims credit for it and gets elevated to cabinet."

McTeague told the Straight in a phone interview from Ottawa that he is not a cabinet minister, but merely the parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew. McTeague added that even though his wife was six months pregnant at the time, he went to England with his assistant to obtain the letter because he felt it would help Sampson obtain his freedom.

"My interest here was to save his life," McTeague said. "I had no other reason to do that."

Sampson, however, criticized McTeague for telling him that he had the "keys to the kingdom", despite not obtaining any answers about his treatment at the hands of Saudi captors. "I showed him and his assistant the medical report from the Parker Institute that confirms I was tortured," Sampson said. McTeague, who has lobbied for the release of other Canadian prisoners abroad, said that he withdrew $2,000 from his own bank account to purchase the plane tickets for himself and his assistant to go to England to meet Rodway's son.

"A lot of people think members of Parliament here are sitting on a cash cow," McTeague said. "If Bill doesn't believe it had any effect, then that's fine. I accept what Bill says. That's his version of events." More than two years ago, on November 6, 2003, Sampson praised McTeague in testimony before the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and international trade. Sampson said at the time that McTeague and then-Bloc QuíƒÆ’í‚ ©becois MP StíƒÆ’í‚ ©phane Bergeron pressed his case in the House of Commons more effectively than any senior member of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

"But I do believe that a public inquiry into the behaviour of the Canadian government officials, both here in Ottawa and at the embassy in Riyadh, is essential, given their performance during my incarceration," Sampson said.

Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Canada, Mohammed R. Al-Hussaini, issued a news release on September 22, 2003 claiming that Sampson was guilty of murdering Christopher Rodway. "A letter was presented by Canadian MP Dan McTeague with a document from the eldest son (the next-of-kin) of the victim, British national Christopher Rodway, waiving his right to have Mr. Sampson executed," Al-Hussaini stated in the release. "This waiver was one of the crucial factors in the decision to grant Mr. Sampson royal clemency."

In his book, Sampson told a very different story, describing how he was framed for the car-bombing death of Rodway, a British national, in Saudi Arabia. Sampson also went into frightening detail about his imprisonment, describing how he endured repeated torture, including being raped, by his captors. He claimed he was beaten on the soles of his feet, punched in the groin, and struck with axe handles.

To stop the abuse, Sampson confessed to the crime, and his statement was broadcast around the world. He was sentenced to execution.

Eventually, Sampson fought back against his jailers by refusing to cooperate in any way. He even spread his own waste in his cell to make life miserable for them. Sampson's father, James, a South Surrey resident, launched a lengthy battle to have his son freed from jail, lobbying MPs and visiting Saudi Arabia. Sampson wrote in his book that he decided to stand up to his Saudi captors after they claimed his father was in the next room.

Sampson said that his captors mistakenly believed he was Jewish. He added that he thinks this resulted in harsher treatment after he began to protest. "They may have spat on me for being Jewish," he said.

Sampson praised nongovernmental organizations such as Amnesty International for keeping his case in the public eye during the 31 months he was in prison. Since being released, he has worked with a small London, England-based group called Redress to try to obtain justice through the courts. Last year, Sampson and three British men, who were also imprisoned, won a landmark court ruling in the United Kingdom, giving them the right to sue their captors as individuals. They did not win the right to sue the Saudi government, though. The Saudis still maintain that Sampson and other expatriates were guilty.

"The experiences that I had are unfortunately all too common among certain communities and in certain countries," Sampson told the Straight. "The number of those being abused at the moment is in the tens of thousands."

Sampson also criticized the Canadian government for not pursuing the Saudis through the International Criminal Court. "Individuals are not allowed to apply to the International Criminal Court," he said. "They must do so through their member states."

He added that he didn't feel that Canada was doing enough to hold the government of Iran accountable for the death of Montreal photojournalist Zahra Kazemi.

Kazemi died in custody on July 11, 2003. Initial news reports from Iran claimed that she suffered a stroke and passed away in hospital. However, it was eventually revealed that she was beaten to death. An Iranian security agent was acquitted of killing her.

Kazemi's Montreal-based son, Stephan Hachemi, has sought legal and diplomatic remedies, so far without much success. Sampson said that he and Hachemi provide public support to one another. "The Canadian government is resisting all attempts to push them into the International Criminal Court on this matter," Sampson said.