CSIS detained, interrogated PhD candidate for visiting Russia
Tamara Lorincz, a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo, when interviewed by The Canada Files for our Speaker Series in October 2023.
Written by: Marthad Umucyaba
Tamara Lorincz, a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo and an anti-NATO peace activist, was arbitrarily detained at the airport while returning from a womens’ conference in Russia. She was repeatedly threatened and pressed to suffer further interrogation at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s (CSIS) behest. The border security confessed to Ms. Lorincz that the detention was rooted in her visit to Russia.
In violation of articles 6(1),7,8, and 9 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which in summation, are enshrined mobility rights, rights against arbitrary detainment, and rights against unreasonable search and seizure, Lorincz was illegally held captive at the airport, illegally searched, and forcefully interrogated before being released.
The case of Tamara Lorincz is once again an expose on the fraud of the “liberal democracy”.
The administrative detention of Lorincz
The political motivations for CSIS detaining Lorincz are obvious at first glance. NATO was hoping to complete the encirclement of Russia with the accession of Ukraine into its membership. When Russia decided to break that encirclement with its Special Military Operation (SMO) in February 2022, NATO used it as an opportunity to weaken Russia with an international sanctions regime and with weapons deliveries to Nazi Ukraine.
The current NATO policy is still to try to weaken Russia to facilitate the encirclement in the future even after Russia’s eventual victory, so Lorincz’s call to end the delivery of weapons to Ukraine directly contradicts NATO policy. This was compounded by the fact that Lorincz visited Russia to discuss peace initiatives that would go against the current policy of NATO in Ukraine.
During her captivity, according to her post-captivity interview with Yves Engler of the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute (CFPI), everything in her possession was searched, especially her anti-NATO articles, which were looked at with keen interest by border security. She was also interrogated about the womens’ peace conference she attended in Russia.
The CSIS operative then asked to interview her after she had been searched. The CSIS operative then revealed the extent of the government surveillance against her, noting his primary task of focusing on “people on the left” such as Lorincz. The interview concluded with a request from the CSIS operative for another interview. Lorincz replied that she would only attend a second interview on the condition that she's able to speak with the CSIS operative’s manager in Ottawa about CSIS’ conduct.
The violation of her Charter Rights
So long as Lorincz was arbitrarily detained at a Canadian border crossing or a Canadian airport, and so long as she was forcefully interrogated, and made to answer CSIS questions before her release, as well as illegally searched, the actions against her committed by the government were illegal and unconstitutional. The following rights, in this case, as outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, were violated:
6 (1) Every citizen of Canada has the right to enter, remain in and leave Canada.
7 Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.
8 Everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure.
9 Everyone has the right not to be arbitrarily detained or imprisoned.
The CSIS operative, notably, did not provide his full name or make his badge number and identification available to Lorincz to photograph and document, in anticipating the possibility of Ms. Lorincz enforcing her rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms using the following provision:
24 (1) Anyone whose rights or freedoms, as guaranteed by this Charter, have been infringed or denied may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction to obtain such remedy as the court considers appropriate and just in the circumstances.
CSIS is unlikely to respond to Ms. Lorincz’s initial demands or deal effectively with a complaint, as seen in the Ken Stone incident. After writing an op-ed in the Hamilton Spectator that criticised the Harper government’s hostility towards Iran, another “enemy” of NATO, Ken Stone was vigorously interrogated at his home by CSIS operatives “Joanna” and “Veronica”. He then suffered from misconduct at his home that could have led to his personal information being leaked. “Joanna”, one of the operatives, lost notes containing Ken Stone’s personal information. A stern “report” was given by Canada’s “toothless” Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC).
It’s unlikely that Lorincz would be able to enforce her rights under the Canadian legal system in any case. After all, the government sanctioned ordinary Russian Canadians for the ‘crime’ of supporting or not vigorously opposing Russia’s SMO which began in 2022. Meanwhile, The judiciary is laden with racists and white supremacists who have openly flown the flag of Nazi Ukraine in clear bias at provincial courts. They have also essentially made it legal to kill Indigenous peoples with their racist precedence, as admitted by the government itself.
The risks of engagement with the enemies of NATO
Tamara Lorincz, despite being a pacifist, was made an example of by the state due primarily to her brief engagement with Russia. The message was clear. Canada, as a member of NATO, seeks victory against Russia, and will not try to compromise with an enemy that they’re seeking to destroy and plunder with their pro-colonial “allies and partners”.
The modern day risks of engagement with NATO’s enemies or of being hostile to NATO are clear in Canada.
Marthad Shingiro Umucyaba (formerly referred to as Christian Shingiro) is a Rwandan-born naturalized Canadian expat. He is known for his participation in Communist/anti-imperialist national and international politics and is the radio show host of The Socially Radical Guitarist.
He is also a freelance web developer in Hong Kong, China, striving to provide “Socially Radical Web Design at a socially reasonable price”.
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