Family Could Sue Feds over War Crimes Listing

Brewing legal drama raises privacy and defamation issues over the government's high-profile war criminals list.

The Conservative government's decision to publish the names, photos, aliases, and other details of 30 suspected war criminals has hit a bit of a snag, as the family of one of the men listed said it will sue the government if their patriarch's name isn't taken off of it. The family of Khalil Abdul Khalil, a 76-year-old Afghan citizen, says the government's charge that he's “violated human or international rights under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act” is baseless, and that they intend to pursue legal action as it defames his name. The Canadian Border Services Agency released the list last week and so far, four of the men on it have been turned in. But numerous privacy concerns have been raised over the fact that the government is labelling these suspects as criminals without actually laying charges against them. The government maintains that the list is meant for people who are here illegally and need to be deported, which they say justifies the publication of their personal details.