Letter from Deputy Minister of Justice, to Libero Sauro, July 22, 1942

Letter from Deputy Minister of Justice, to Rev. L. Sauro, July 22, 1942.

Rev. Libero Sauro was arrested on September 7, 1940 and held at Don Jail before being transferred to Petawawa Internment Camp.

After his release, Sauro continued to help other internees and their families. In this letter, he is being informed of the continued internment of Luigi Ciano, a member of Rev. Sauro's church and a fellow member of the Order Sons of Italy. Ciano's daughter lived with the Sauro family during some of the period of her father's internment.

Under the DOCR (Defence of Canada Regulations), after 30 days, internees could formally object to their detention to an advisory committee appointed by the Minister of Justice. The Minister of Justice then appointed a judge to review the internee’s case. This meant an examination of the RCMP’s evidence against the internee, meetings with the internee, and interviews with witnesses who could attest to the internee’s character. After this, the judge either recommended an internee’s release or continued internment to the Minister of Justice.

This letter indicates that Ciano's case was reviewed and his release denied.

This document forms part of a collection of documents and other materials donated by the Sauro family.