The Canadian Government Does Something Horrible

Abousfian Abdelrazik
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David Chapman
Today at 9:04am
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Below is the story about Abousfian Abdelrazik a Canadian citizen of Sudanese Origin who despite being cleared of any links to terrorism is being denied a passport by the Harper government. Abousfian Abdelrazik has been kept out of Canada for 6 years now and has been stuck in the Canadian embassy in Khartoum for over a year. Despite efforts by many Canadians to obtain a plane ticket home for him at great risk to themselves the Harper government keeps changing the rules and upping the ante in preventing Abousfian Abdelrazik from coming home. Think of Tom Hanks in the Terminal. This is an atrocity and a denial of basic human rights from our government. There is no known reason why they the Harper government should prevent him from coming having being cleared. But as noted he does remain on no fly lists but that doesn't prevent the Harper government from bringing him home. There is a growing group on Facebook to work to assist in bringing Abousfian Abdelrazik home. Don't let the Harper government win this attrocity. This is another Maher Arar and when we win it will cost the Canadian taxpayer millions because of the actions of the Harper government.

The story is below from the Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=69034411293&ref=mf group.

David


Abousfian Abdelrazik is a Canadian citizen of Sudanese origin, who has been anonymously accused of ties to al Qaeda and been put on a UN “no-fly” list. He has never has a chance to defend himself from these accusations.

He was arrested in 2003 (apparently at the request of CSIS, Canada’s intelligence agency) when visiting his mother in Sudan, and spent a total of close to two years in prison where he was interrogated and allegedly tortured. He was ultimately released by the Sudanese authorities, who concluded he was an innocent man. Since then, the RCMP and CSIS have also cleared him of any involvement in terrorism or crime.

Mr. Abdelrazik has never been convicted of any crime, in fact he has never even been charged with anything - and there are no arrest warrants pending against him from any government. Following his release from prison in 2006 the Government of Canada has placed one unreasonable obstacle after another in the way of his coming home to his family in Montreal.

Canada refused to renew his passport (which expired while he was in prison), and has refused to grant him emergency travel documents - even though it is obliged by Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms to provide them. Canada also refused the government of Sudan’s offer to fly him home, and has refused to give him a seat in the private planes of numerous Canadian government officials who have visited Sudan.

The most bizarre injustice came recently. The Canadian government finally said it would provide emergency travel documents, but only if Mr. Abdelrazik (who is destitute and living in the Canadian Embassy in Khartoum) had a paid flight ticket. Moreover, it indicated that any Canadians who loaned or gave him money for the flight home could be charged under Canada’s anti-terrorism legislation (which can carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison upon conviction).

This final outrage was exposed in a March 5, 2009 Globe and Mail article, and there has been a swift, strong response from Canadians across the country. Risking imprisonment, 115 Canadians came together in an unparalleled civil disobedience action and contributed the money needed to purchase the flight ticket (for April 3rd).

Their action was announced at a media conference on March 12th, 2009. The contributors include Stephen Lewis, the former Solicitor General of Canada (Warren Allmand), two-time Progressive Conservative leadership candidate David Orchard, a plethora of university professors, religious leaders, students, seniors, artists, lawyers and other Canadians from across the country.

As word has spread, others have joined the civil disobedience action and the number of those participating in the action had climbed to 145 by March 18th. It currently stands at 197 and continues climbing steadily.

The Canadian government has clearly been caught off-guard, and has failed to provide a coherent response regarding why it is preventing Mr. Abdelrazik from coming home.

Amnesty International has called for his immediate return to Canada. In a letter to Canada's Foreign Minister, the heads of Amnesty Canada wrote the following:
"Minister Cannon, with each passing day the injustice of this case deepens. If there are concerns about Mr. Abdelrazik's possible involvement in or support of terrorist activities, then these could and should be dealt with under the Canadian justice system. Indefinite and tenuous temporary refuge in the face of a serious risk of grave human rights violations is not safety and it is not justice. Amnesty International calls on the Canadian government to ensure Mr. Abdelrazik's return to Canada with no further delay."

Please join your fellow Canadians and call, write, or e-mail your MP and ask them to act now to get the government to allow Abousfian Abdelrazik to come home to his family in Montreal. His children have been missing their father for almost 6 years.

Help Abousfian Abdelrazik get a ticket home
Abousfian Abdelrazik is a Canadian citizen of Sudanese origin, who has been anonymously accused of ties to al Qaeda and been put on a UN “no-fly” list. He has never has a chance to defend himself from...