A British Columbia man convicted in the Air India bombing deaths of 331 people has been denied his request to participate in political matters.
"Your associations with others of a similar mindset were directly risk-related and led to the murders of many innocent people," the Parole Board of Canada said in a ruling against Inderjit Singh Reyat.
The board said in its decision released Thursday that it considered comments by Reyat's lawyer about his client's rights under the charter to participate in political issues.
Reyat became eligible for statutory release in January after serving two-thirds of his nine-year sentence for perjury for lying at the trial of two other men charged in Canada's worst mass murder 30 years ago.
The board also imposed a second condition for Reyat not to associate with anyone involved in political or criminal activity or extremist views.
Patrick Storey, regional spokesman for the parole board, said Reyat could consider the condition for him not to get politically involved as being too broad.
"That could be construed, I suppose, as not to associate with anyone involved in political activity, which means he couldn't talk to his municipal councillor or an MP or a (member of the legislature) as any Canadian citizen would be able to do."
Storey said the conditions will be in place for the duration of Reyat's statutory release and that he could appeal the decision or take his case to the Federal Court if a new review is not ordered.
The Crown said the terrorist attack against state-owned Air India was prompted by British Columbia-based Sikh extremists' revenge against the Indian government for ordering the army to raid Sikhism's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar in June 1984.
17/03/16 Camille Bains/Winnipeg Free Press
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"Your associations with others of a similar mindset were directly risk-related and led to the murders of many innocent people," the Parole Board of Canada said in a ruling against Inderjit Singh Reyat.
The board said in its decision released Thursday that it considered comments by Reyat's lawyer about his client's rights under the charter to participate in political issues.
Reyat became eligible for statutory release in January after serving two-thirds of his nine-year sentence for perjury for lying at the trial of two other men charged in Canada's worst mass murder 30 years ago.
The board also imposed a second condition for Reyat not to associate with anyone involved in political or criminal activity or extremist views.
Patrick Storey, regional spokesman for the parole board, said Reyat could consider the condition for him not to get politically involved as being too broad.
"That could be construed, I suppose, as not to associate with anyone involved in political activity, which means he couldn't talk to his municipal councillor or an MP or a (member of the legislature) as any Canadian citizen would be able to do."
Storey said the conditions will be in place for the duration of Reyat's statutory release and that he could appeal the decision or take his case to the Federal Court if a new review is not ordered.
The Crown said the terrorist attack against state-owned Air India was prompted by British Columbia-based Sikh extremists' revenge against the Indian government for ordering the army to raid Sikhism's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar in June 1984.
17/03/16 Camille Bains/Winnipeg Free Press
