Former UN Expert Says He Was Interrogated by Canadian Authorities on “National Security” Grounds:

A former United Nations special rapporteur known for documenting Israeli abuses against Palestinians says he was detained and interrogated by Canadian authorities on “national security” grounds while travelling to Canada this week for an event related to Gaza. Richard Falk, a 95-year-old international law scholar from the United States, told Al Jazeera that he and his wife, fellow legal expert Hilal Elver, were stopped on Thursday at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The couple had been travelling to Ottawa to participate in the Palestine Tribunal on Canadian Responsibility, a two-day gathering of international legal and human rights experts examining Canada’s role in Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. According to Falk, the experience was unlike anything he had ever encountered. “A security person came and said, ‘We’ve detained you both because we’re concerned that you pose a national security threat to Canada,’” he recalled. “It was my first experience of this sort – ever – in my life.” Falk said the two were questioned for more than four hours and asked extensively about their academic work on Israel, Gaza, and issues related to genocide. Although the interrogations were not aggressive, he described them as “random and disorganised”, raising questions for him about why they were singled out. Falk believes the incident reflects a broader global climate in which governments are increasingly seeking to “punish those who endeavour to tell the truth about what is happening,” particularly regarding Gaza. “It suggests a climate of governmental insecurity, I think, to try to clamp down on dissident voices,” he said. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which oversees border security, declined to comment on the specific case, citing privacy rules. In an email to Al Jazeera, spokesperson Rebecca Purdy said the CBSA’s role is to assess security risks and the admissibility of individuals entering Canada. She noted that any traveller can be referred for a secondary inspection and that such referrals should not automatically be interpreted as indications of wrongdoing. Global Affairs Canada did not immediately respond to questions about Falk’s assertion that his detention was part of a wider crackdown on critics of Israel’s war in Gaza. Canadian Senator Yuen Pau Woo, who supports the Palestine Tribunal, said he was “appalled” that two respected scholars were questioned under the pretext that they might pose a national security threat. “We know they were here to attend the Palestine Tribunal. We know they have been outspoken in documenting and publicising the horrors inflicted on Gaza by Israel, and advocating for justice,” Woo said. “If those are the factums for their detention, then it suggests that the Canadian government considers these acts of seeking justice for Palestine to be national security threats – and I’d like to know why.” Canada, like several Western nations, has faced growing pressure to suspend its long-standing political and military support for Israel amid the devastating impact of the Gaza war. Although Ottawa announced in 2024 that it had halted new weapons export permits to Israel, human rights organisations and researchers say loopholes still allow Canadian-made arms to reach Israel indirectly, often via the United States. During the tribunal, activists emphasised that Canada shares responsibility for the ongoing violence in Gaza. “This violence is not in the past tense; the bombs have not stopped falling,” said Rachel Small of World Beyond War. “None of Israel’s genocide would be possible without the flow of weapons from the United States, from Europe, and yes, from Canada.” Since a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas took effect last month, at least 260 Palestinians have been killed in continuing Israeli attacks, according to Gaza’s health authorities. Severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and shelter persist as Israel maintains tight restrictions on aid deliveries. Given these conditions, Falk said it is “more important than ever” to expose what is happening in Gaza. “There’s this false sense that the genocide is over,” he said. “Israel is carrying out the genocidal project in a less intense, more incremental way.”

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