[JURIST] A trial began Saturday for 14 Egyptians charged with helping the men who carried out two bombings in the city of Cairo [Wikipedia backgrounder] in April 2005 that left 10 people and the two bombers dead. Tourists appeared to be the targets and an American and two French citizens were among the dead. The defendants face various charges including assisting the bombers financially, gathering ingredients to build the explosives, and legitimizing rebellion against the government. The 14 suspects, including two women and three boys under the age of eighteen, all maintain they are innocent. Lawyers for the charged individuals claim that many of them have been tortured by state security officials to obtain false confessions and have been denied visits by family members.

One volunteer lawyer for the 14 suspects also said the Egyptian Interior Ministry has framed the group because investigators were not able to locate the individuals who actually aided the bombers. The Egyptian court scheduled the next hearing in the case for October 21 after granting the defendants permission for family visits and ordering medical reports to assess the torture allegations. Reuters has more.

[JURIST] French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin [BBC profile] offered an implied criticism of the US prison camp in Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] in a speech [text, in French] to the Institute of Higher Studies of National Defense [official website, in French] Friday in which he said efforts to fight terrorism must always be made "while respecting the rule of law." Villepin declared:

In order for the fight against terrorism to be as effective as possible we have to act while respecting our values and our rules.

Let us avoid zones where there are no rights, let us reject anything that can give rise to arbitrariness, whether this means military interventions without the international community's authorization, exceptional tribunals, or detention centers outside the framework of international law.

The greatest determination in the face of terrorism, yes, but always while respecting the rule of law.

[JURIST] Two weeks after the arrests of 17 Canadians on terrorism-related charges [JURIST report] in the Toronto area, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper [official website] Friday announced [press release] that his government will step up anti-terrorism efforts in Canada by adding more security at airports, marine ports and railway systems. Harper also indicated that $224 million of the $1.3 billion federal security budget would be used to improve Canada's terrorist tracking capabilities. The new measures will allow for additional resources to check passports and will implement a stricter policy on screening luggage. The government is also considering using federal air marshals on commercial flights, much like those working on US flights since the September 11 attacks [JURIST news archive].

Responding to increased criticism by the US after the Canadian terror arrests, Harper said the Canadian government may consider options to enhance security along the 4,000-mile Canada-US border. The 17 Toronto suspects have been attending hearings [JURIST report] regarding the charges [CBC breakdown by suspect] against them, but many details of the procedures have remained sealed under a publication ban [Canadian Press report] imposed this week. Earlier this month, the Canadian government also announced its intent to introduce new anti-terror legislation [JURIST report] in the fall that would fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism. AP has more.

[JURIST] The upper chamber of the French parliament [Senate website, in French] adopted a controversial immigration bill [draft text; JURIST news archive] Friday after the French National Assembly [official website, English version] voted overwhelmingly to approve the measure [JURIST report] last month. The bill [legislative information, in French] makes it more difficult for unskilled workers to gain access to the country since a "skills and talents" requirement is necessary to get a residency permit. The measure also eliminates the right of illegal immigrants to automatically stay in France after living there for 10 years and mandates that migrants must learn French and sign a contract promising to respect the French way of life.

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy [BBC profile; official profile, in French] was a strong advocate for the bill [JURIST report], saying that France needs to select the immigrants it needs and that the measure would bring France more in line with other countries. The new law has been criticized by many people from France's former African colonies, including Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade [official website, in French; BBC profile], because citizens from these countries make up a great deal of France's immigrant population. BBC News has more.

[JURIST] Defense attorneys representing two US Marines accused of killing an Iraqi civilian in Hamandiya this spring claim that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service [official website] interrogated their clients under coercive conditions, including making threats about the death penalty. Attorneys Jane Siegel [profile] and Jeremiah Sullivan III said their clients were questioned for eight-hour periods on at least three occasions without being offered water or restroom breaks and were not read their rights prior to the interrogation sessions. The men are two of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman who are expected to face charges [JURIST report] for the April 26 death of the civilian and for allegedly making it seem as though the man was planting a bomb.

The accusations by the two attorneys may have implications when the soldiers face trial since a military judge must first find that any statements were made voluntarily before they can be submitted as evidence. Charges must be filed against the soldiers within 120 days of the date they were first taken into custody [MNF-Iraq press release], which was May 24. AP has more.