Former terror suspect may face difficult homecoming
The Foreign Affairs Department has been told that there is "reticence" in some quarters over Abousfian Abdelrazik's planned homecoming to Canada from Sudan, Canwest News Service has learned.
No country or individuals were named as the source of that sentiment, but a letter from the Justice Department to Abdelrazik's lawyer last week raises the possibility that the Sudanese-born, Canadian citizen might face obstacles on his journey back to Canada this weekend after his six years of exile in Sudan.
"I wish to inform you that DFAIT has encountered some reticence in getting assurances that your client will be able to board a flight," said the June 18 letter from the Justice Department to Abdelrazik's lawyer, Yavar Hameed.
What's missing is any assurance from these representatives of the Canadian government that since Abdelrazik is an innocent Canadian citizen — innocent as in "has never been charged with, or found guilty of, any crime" — they will do whatever they can to assist him in returning home.
It's actually come to the point of witnessing our own government issue vague threats against one of our own citizens. Because that's what this is. They're now trying to intimidate Abdelrazik into staying away.
This government embarrasses us all.
H/t to Dr. Dawg.
I agree that the first place to focus our righteous anger as citizens is on our own weasels and cowards, who just can't seem to grasp that their primary responsibility is to us. And we need to keep the klieg lights on them for as long as they continue to betray us.
But we still also really need to know what those people who are feeling "reticence" at Mr Abdelrazik's return and who have actually caught the attention of the Canadian government (gee, I wonder who that could be) think they are doing. I have no doubt that they are still mucking around, with this file as with Arar's and a dozen others, not because they're right or even think they are, not because any of these people presents a credible threat to them, but because they're afraid that one day, some members of their elites may be called to account in a court.
From today's G&M:
This:
suggests unambiguously that the American's reason for being there was to interview Abdelrazik. Yet this:
openly contradicts the reporter's narrative and suggests that the encounter between the American and Abdelrazik was accidental. Like two ships passing in the night. It's interesting that the contradiction has been allowed to stand. Welford's story suggests that an American "official" is wandering around the Canadian embassy unaccompanied. That's curious, too.
Those people really have no class at all. I mean, obviously something like that isn't actually going to deter him from coming back. He's fought as hard as he has and he's got nowhere else to go, they have to know that this churlish muttering will have no actual effect whatsoever. It's pointless. So why do it?
Either they're simply total jerks and sore losers who just can't restrain themselves from ineffectual bullying behaviour,
Or they're desperate to assure *someone* that they're leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to be dicks for the cause,
Or they've got some kind of prearrangement with the CIA to snatch him when he boards a plane and extraordinarily render him. But given the media attention already on him, wouldn't that be extraordinarily stupid?
From what I gather, as a Canadien citizen he can't apply for EI. or get employment. If somebody hires him for a job,they also face the chance of criminal charges ! What the hell is going on here? Am I under the delusion that only SOME people are really canadien citizens and the new Canadiens are what? not quite citezens?? Our standing as being from Canada with a flag on your packsack is legendary around the world, we keep following in line behind the Yanks and we stand to lose our treasured status as being from a country that a lot of people would like to migrate to.