Political Prisoner Terry Tremaine, Out of Jail, but Totally Gagged

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Political Prisoner Terry Tremaine, Out of Jail, but Totally Gagged

REGINA, SK. Poltical prisoner Terry Tremaine was granted bail, Friday, August 28, here, but is now hobbled with restrictions more in keeping with tyrannies like Burma or Red China. Arrested August 6 for "breach of undertaking" (breach of bail conditions), Mr. Tremaine, a former lecturer of math and computer science at the the University of Saskatchewan, had spent 15 days in jail for posting his defence on the Internet.

Mr. Tremaine's alleged offence was posting on the Internet on Stormfront, July 22, the statement of defence he planned to deliver to a contempt of court hearing in Federal Court the next day. Attending court, July 23, Mr. Tremaine and CAFE's Director Paul Fromm learned that the hearing, at the request of the Crown, had been adjourned sine die; that is, indefinitely.

It took nearly 10 days for Mr. Tremaine's lawyer Gene Jacobson to obtain the transcripts of Mr. Tremaine's several bail hearings before the Court of Queen's Bench -- incredible when the court is only a few blocks away.

On August 27, the Crown argued strenuously for continued incarceration of political prisoner Terry Tremaine. The judge reserved his decision.

When the hearing resumed on Friday, the judge said: "It is not my role to judge Mr. Tremaine's political views. The two questions before me are: is he likely to appear for his trial and is he likely to reoffend?"

The judge noted that the 61 year old scholar had no criminal record, and was, therfore, likely to show up for his trial,

The Crown charged that Mr. Tremaine was "cavalier" in his attitude to his previous bail conditions.

The judge seemd to take Mr. Tremaine's side: He noted that Mr. Tremaine "had made the effort to go to the Court of Queen's Bench to seek an amendment to his bail conditions and had, thus, acted responsibly."

He went on to note that "multiple amendmentds had created an ambiguity in Mr. Tremaine's bail conditions" -- he been permitted to use the Internet for his defence in his case. That was the reason, said the judge, that the Crown had now charged Mr. Tremaine again.

So, to remove any ambiguity, the judge decided to shackle Mr. Tremaine entirely. He is not to possess a computer, or use one or access the Internet in a library or Internet CAFE.

These conditions will hobble Mr. Tremaine's preparation for his preliminary hearing in October on "hate law" (Sec. 319) charges about his Internet postings. The charge followed a complaint by arch complainer Richard Warman, whose compalints also led to Sec. 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act charges against Mr. Tremaine and to the loss of his job at the University of Saskatchewan.

"Mr. Tremaine is almost condemned to unemployment as many jobs are advertised online and applications received online," Paul Fromm of the Canadian Association exploded, when informed of the Court's Soviet gag order.

Douglas H. Christie, Mr. Tremaine's lawyer in the upcoming (0ctober 19-21) preliminary hearing, fumed: "The system says: 'You're free, but you're not allowed to breathe.'"

Mr. Tremaine is unemployed and penniless. He needs your support for his defence fund to fight the hate law charges this fall.

You can send cheque, money order or cash to:

CAFE
Box 332
Rexdale ON M9W 5L3
CANADA.