New Democrats demand repatriation of Canadian citizen Abdelrazik

OTTAWA - New Democrat Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar is calling on the government to live up to its international obligations and immediately repatriate Abousfian Abdelrazik.

"It’s time to end six years of misery for this Canadian citizen and bring him home," said Dewar. “The only obstacle standing between Mr. Abdelrazik and his flight home to Canada is this Conservative government.”

The airline ticket purchased for Mr. Abdelrazik by almost 200 Canadians will expire tomorrow unless a passport is issued for him immediately.

In a statement released today, Mr. Abdelrazik spoke about his time in limbo in Sudan. “I was thrown into prison because Canada asked; I was imprisoned and beaten and almost died. I was tortured,” stated Abdelrazik. “I miss my children in Canada; they grew up, and my ex-wife died. My teenage daughter is an orphan now, and still the Harper government does not let me go home”.

Government officials recognize Canada’s obligation to issue travel documents for Mr. Abdelrazik and as recently as December 23, Passport Canada stated that it would issue a passport for Mr. Abdelrazik if a ticket was purchased for him. Despite these assurances and despite his being cleared of any wrongdoing by Canadian officials, the Conservatives continue to block Mr. Abdelrazik’s return home.

“The Harper government’s behaviour on this file is morally reprehensible, but today they have the opportunity to right this wrong,” concluded Dewar. “All Canadians should be concerned if our government fails to act to help a fellow Canadian return home.”