On June 4, 2009 the Federal Court ruled that the Canadian government must take immediate action to ensure that Canadian citizen Abousfian Abdelrazik is returned to Canada. In spite of the fact that both CSIS and the RCMP have cleared Mr. Abdelrazik, the government continues to assert that he is a security risk and refuse to issue the documentation he requires to return to Canada. As a result of this situation, Mr. Abdelrazik has reportedly been stranded in Sudan for over 5 years.
In its decision, the Court held that the government had breached Mr. Abdelrazik’s rights under the Charter and that it had failed to advance a legitimate basis for not permitting him to return to Canada. In the Court’s view, Mr. Abdelrazik has been “as much a victim of international terrorism as the innocent persons whose lives have been taken by recent barbaric acts.”
The CCLA hopes that the government will act quickly to resolve this matter once and for all by facilitating Mr. Abdelrazik’s return to Canada.
To read a copy of CCLA’s September 16, 2008 letter to the Minister of Foreign affairs about this issue click here.
