Article content

OTTAWA — Three Canadians who were tortured in Syria have received just over $31 million in federal compensation.

The Liberal government said in March it had settled long-standing lawsuits filed by Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati and Muayyed Nureddin over the federal role in their ordeals, though details of the settlement were not made public.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Liberals give $31 million in federal compensation to three Canadians tortured in Syrian custody Back to video

Recently released public accounts note the $31.25-million payment to three unidentified individuals and The Canadian Press has confirmed it refers to the settlement.

Photo by Chris Mikula, The Ottawa Citizen

In October 2008, an inquiry led by former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci found Canadian officials contributed to the torture of Almalki, El Maati and Nureddin by sharing information with foreign agencies.

Iacobucci concluded the men were abused in Syrian custody and, in the case of El Maati, in Egypt as well.

The former judge cited the RCMP, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and Foreign Affairs for mistakes in the cases.