Back in Canada, Abdelrazik Seeking Justice and to Clear His Name

Abousfian Abdelrazik, the Canadian citizen who spent the past 6 years stuck in Sudan, has been in Canada for 10 days. His priority is to clear his name after being suspected of links to terrorists and to seek justice for what happened to him.

"I want those people who play a role in this matter to face justice, not because I seek revenge.… I want this not to happen to any Canadian citizen anymore," Abdelrazik said on Tuesday. He was visiting a court to see Federal Court Justice Russell Zinn, who had ruled in June that the Canadian government must seek his safe return to Canada. After months of dithering and seeking legal excuses, the government followed through on Zinn's ruling. Upon their meeting Zinn said "I'm pleased to see you here, Mr. Abdelrazik." Abdelrazik's story has been well documented. Some six years ago he was detained as a terror suspect in Sudan. He claims that while he was detained he was interrogated and tortured. In 2008, fearing that he would be arrested again, Abdelrazik sought refuge in Canada's embassy in Khartoum, where he remained stranded for over a year. Despite being cleared of any wrongdoing by both CSIS and the RCMP and never facing any charges, Abdelrazik was never able to return to Canada. Instead, the Conservative government sought various legal measures to ensure that he could not return. One of those measures was Abdelrazik's presence on a United Nations No-Fly list. While he has returned to his family in Montreal, he remains on the list. Abdelrazik thus faces severe restrictions including a freeze on his assets which means he cannot open a bank account or accept any financial assistance or employment as well as the inability to travel outside of Canada by air. Abdelrazik said “I want to come to my normal life and soon I want to remove myself from the [no-fly] list of the United Nations because this list is [unjust] and unfair and it make my life very difficult. I want to be removed from that list as soon as possible." Although it may be difficult, given that the U.S. holds a veto over the UN no-fly list, Yavar Hameed, a lawyer for Abdelrazik, maintains that it is a priority to see his client's name cleared. He also reiterated that they will seek justice. "The government of Canada should acknowledge responsibility for what has happened," Hameed said. There has been speculation that Abdelrazik may sue the government for their involvement, but Hameed maintained that the level of government involvement in this ordeal must first be ascertained. Abdelrazik and his lawyers are seeking a meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon and Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan to discuss the role of the government in Abdelrazik's case. Some are calling on a comprehensive inquiry to investigate a fair recompense for Abdelrazik's suffering as well as the implementation of significant safeguards to ensure that citizen rights are protected and enforced, even in contentious situations. In short, to ensure that there are no more cases like Abdelrazik's. More details are likely to emerge some time next week when Abdelrazik will answer more questions at a press conference in Ottawa.