Abousfian Abdelrazik to Return to Canada

(Ottawa – June 24, 2009) — In advance of the anticipated return of Abousfian Abdelrazik, a Canadian citizen from Montréal who has been exiled in Sudan for six years, his lawyers, human rights and civil society organizations, and fellow Canadians will announce plans for Mr. Abdelrazik’s repatriation. His lawyer, Yavar Hameed, will then be boarding a flight to travel to Sudan and accompany Mr. Abdelrazik
home.

Mr. Abdelrazik’s long-overdue return to Canada is the result of a court order on June 4th which found that the Federal government had breached Mr. Abdelrazik’s Charter rights by repeatedly obstructing is return to Canada. The Court also found that Canadian authorities, specifically CSIS, were complicit in Mr. Abdelrazik’s initial detention, torture, and interrogation in Sudan.

Mr. Abdelrazik’s ordeal is eerily similar to that of other Canadian Muslims, such as Maher Arar, Ahmad El Maati, Abdullah Almalki, and Muayyed Nureddin who were detained, tortured and interrogated abroad, with the involvement of Canadian officials. The government’s reluctance to bring him home sparked a strong public campaign across Canada.

For more background information: www.peoplescommission.org/abdelrazik.php