Thursday, July 24, 2008

Canada's disgrace in the case of Abousfian Abdelrazik continues

Documents are now coming out on the case of Abousfian Abdelrazik, the Canadian citizen who has been stranded in Sudan since 2003 and is now suing the Canadian government in an effort to get back home.

He has been arrested, twice by the Sudanese Gov’t during that time, tortured and subsequently released.

It would appear the first time was at the bequest of CSIS and the second time to apparently save embarrassment to the Canadian government.

Timeline of events from earlier Globe article here.
  • 1990 Aged 28 enters Canada a political refuge from Sudan
  • 1995 Becomes a Canadian citizen, marries and has a daughter
  • 2000 Voluntarily testifies in the US in the trial of Amed Ressam the News Years Eve bomber caught at border, claims he knew him but not well
  • March 2003 Goes to Sudan to see ailing mother and get away from CSIS harassment that has continued
  • July 2003 CSIS labels him a known associate of al-quaeda suspects
  • August 2003 Arrested in Sudan
  • December 2003 Interrogated by CSIS agents 
  • May 2004 Goes on hunger strike
  • July 2004 Sudan aggress to release him and wife arranges flight back. Next day US puts him on their no fly list and flight cancelled
  • August 2004 Moves to halfway house
  • November 2004 PM Martin in Sudan refuses to meet with him 
  • October 2005 Arrested again by Sudanese on the day Romeo Dallaird plans to meet him
  • July 2006 US declares him a risk to the safety of the United States, US puts him on UN Terrorist list
  • July 2007 Sudan releases him again declaring he is clear of all terrorist links and they bo longer want to incarcerate an innocent man.
  • January 2008 Interviewed by FBI
  • March 2008 Interviewed by Bernier, asked about his views of Israel
  • June 2008 Lawyers sue Canadian government as Canadian diplomats knew he was being tortured in Sudan prison
The documents released today show that two successive Canadian governments have failed to to allow a Canadian citizen that is not charged with any crime return to Canada, for fear of upsetting the Bush administration.
Senior Canadian intelligence officials warned against allowing Abousfian Abdelrazik, a Canadian citizen, to return home from Sudan because it could upset the Bush administration, classified documents reveal.

The Abdelrazik documents - prepared by senior intelligence and security officials in Transport Canada, the unit that creates and maintains Canada's own version of the terrorist "no-fly" list - make clear that it was the U.S. list that kept Mr. Abdelrazik from returning to Canada when he was released from prison three years ago.
Meanwhile Abdelrazik denies any link with Islamic extremists groups or al-Qaeda and simply wants to come home to his daughter. 

And the Government continues to use Catch 22 logic to keep him in Sudan and appease the Bush Administration and avoid their own complicity.
The government continues to refuse to issue Mr. Abdelrazik a new Canadian passport.

His previous one expired while he was imprisoned and his Sudanese jailers returned it to the Canadian embassy. Canadian diplomats say they would issue him emergency travel documents, but only if he had an airline ticket.

But that is impossible as long as he remains on the U.S. no-fly list.
Meanwhile Canada is providing him with $100 a month. 


This is disgraceful.


Quotes from todays Globe Article here.

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