Lawrence Cannon cites national security concerns in denying Abousfian Abdelrazik’s passport request, sparking controversy over his treatment.
Ottawa: So, here’s the scoop. Back in 2009, former foreign minister Lawrence Cannon decided to deny Abousfian Abdelrazik an emergency passport. Why? He thought Abdelrazik might be a threat to national security.
Cannon shared this at a Federal Court hearing, saying he didn’t want Abdelrazik coming back to Canada from Sudan and putting anyone at risk. It’s a pretty big deal.
Abdelrazik, who’s originally from Sudan, moved to Montreal as a refugee and became a Canadian citizen in 1995. He went back to Sudan in 2003 to visit his sick mom, but things took a turn for the worse.
He got arrested and questioned about possible extremist ties. Abdelrazik insists he’s not involved in terrorism and claims he was tortured while detained.
Now, he’s suing the Canadian government, saying they played a role in his wrongful imprisonment and made it tough for him to get back home. It’s a complicated situation that’s raising a lot of eyebrows.
