Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan
Flashback: Ottawa balks at travel permit for man trapped in Sudan | Family of Canadian stranded by no-fly list to make public appeal
CBC News
March 12, 2009
Abousfian Abdelrazik remains on UN anti-terror blacklist
A group supporting a Montrealer once labelled an al-Qaeda operative has bought the man a plane ticket to return to Canada, in defiance of federal law.
More than 100 Canadians have donated money to pay for a ticket for Abousfian Abdelrazik, the 47-year-old arrested and detained in Sudan during a visit in 2003.
Authorities released him after finding no evidence to support any charges of links to terrorist organizations.
However, because his passport expired while he was in prison, Abdelrazik has been stuck in Sudan ever since.
Canadian authorities have told him they will not issue him new travel documents until he buys a plane ticket, something he says he cannot afford.
His supporters decided to buy the $1,000 ticket for him, running afoul of Canadian law. Abdelrazik’s name remains on a United Nations anti-terror blacklist, despite a request by Canada to have him removed.
Under Canadian law, it is illegal to financially support anyone on that list.
The maximum penalty for anyone found guilty of the offence is 10 years in jail.
Donations came from students, artists, politician
Contributors include professors, labour representatives, artists, filmmakers, students and human rights advocates. The list includes Warren Allmand, a former solicitor general of Canada in the 1970s who is currently a municipal councillor in Montreal.
Yavar Hameed, Abdelrazik’s lawyer, said the people who donated the money know they risk imprisonment for doing so.
He called the gesture a powerful one, and asked the Canadian government to issue his client an emergency passport before the plane is scheduled to leave on April 3.
“This plane ticket strips away another excuse the government has used to prevent my client from returning home,” said Hameed at a press conference Thursday in Montreal.
Dominique Peschard, president of the Quebec-based Rights and Liberties League, said the Canadian government is violating Abdelrazik’s rights by denying his return to Canada.
Detention followed family visit
Abdelrazik was visiting his ailing mother in Sudan in 2003 when he was arrested for alleged terrorist links.
Sudanese investigators found no evidence to support criminal charges and released him. Abdelrazik alleges he was tortured during his detention.
The RCMP have also said there is no information linking Abdelrazik to criminal activities.
He has been living in the lobby of the Canadian Embassy in Khartoum for nearly a year.
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March 19th, 2009 at 12:19 am
[...] | See Also under Afghanistan: Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | Canada, allies will never defeat Taliban, PM says | Cost of Afghan mission jumps to [...]
April 11th, 2009 at 8:52 am
[...] on family | Obama administration: Guantanamo detainees have ‘no constitutional rights’ | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | Khawaja sentenced to 10½ years in prison | Tories aim to bring back anti-terrorism provisions | [...]
April 14th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
[...] | UK Anti-war MP banned from Canada | Afghanistan needs 4,000 extra soldiers for elections: NATO | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | Canada, allies will never defeat Taliban, PM says | Cost of Afghan mission jumps to $11.3-billion [...]
April 18th, 2009 at 5:59 am
[...] on family | Obama administration: Guantanamo detainees have ‘no constitutional rights’ | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | Khawaja sentenced to 10½ years in prison | Tories aim to bring back anti-terrorism provisions | [...]
May 9th, 2009 at 9:57 am
[...] Parade of excuses continues as Ottawa denies citizen’s repatriation | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | Ottawa balks at travel permit for man trapped in Sudan | CSIS faces review in Khadr case | Family [...]
May 11th, 2009 at 4:48 am
[...] | UK Anti-war MP banned from Canada | Afghanistan needs 4,000 extra soldiers for elections: NATO | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | Canada, allies will never defeat Taliban, PM says | Cost of Afghan mission jumps to $11.3-billion [...]
June 13th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
[...] Abdelrazik, papers show | Parade of excuses continues as Ottawa denies citizen’s repatriation | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | Ottawa balks at travel permit for man trapped in Sudan | CSIS faces review in Khadr case | Family [...]
July 4th, 2009 at 4:26 am
[...] on family | Obama administration: Guantanamo detainees have ‘no constitutional rights’ | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | Khawaja sentenced to 10½ years in prison | Tories aim to bring back anti-terrorism provisions | [...]
July 8th, 2009 at 1:16 am
[...] Abdelrazik, papers show | Parade of excuses continues as Ottawa denies citizen’s repatriation | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | Ottawa balks at travel permit for man trapped in Sudan | Family of Canadian stranded by no-fly [...]
August 4th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
[...] | UK Anti-war MP banned from Canada | Afghanistan needs 4,000 extra soldiers for elections: NATO | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | Canada, allies will never defeat Taliban, PM says | Cost of Afghan mission jumps to $11.3-billion [...]
October 18th, 2009 at 6:54 am
[...] [...]
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
[...] | UK Anti-war MP banned from Canada | Afghanistan needs 4,000 extra soldiers for elections: NATO | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | Canada, allies will never defeat Taliban, PM says | Cost of Afghan mission jumps to $11.3-billion [...]
December 30th, 2009 at 7:51 am
[...] $9 billion for projects | Big Brother is watching: surveillance box to track drivers is backed | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | US Terrorist watch list hits 1 million | Against protocol, bus decapitation accused released from [...]
February 21st, 2010 at 5:10 am
[...] $9 billion for projects | Big Brother is watching: surveillance box to track drivers is backed | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | US Terrorist watch list hits 1 million | Against protocol, bus decapitation accused released from [...]
March 5th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
[...] $9 billion for projects | Big Brother is watching: surveillance box to track drivers is backed | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | US Terrorist watch list hits 1 million | Against protocol, bus decapitation accused released from [...]
April 30th, 2010 at 3:33 am
[...] $9 billion for projects | Big Brother is watching: surveillance box to track drivers is backed | Supporters defy law, buy plane ticket for Montrealer stuck in Sudan | US Terrorist watch list hits 1 million | Against protocol, bus decapitation accused released from [...]