Lawyer for Abdelrazik accuses former minister of exiling him through passport denial

By Canadian Press

Dec 11, 2024 | 12:53 PM

OTTAWA — A lawyer for Abousfian Abdelrazik has accused former foreign minister Lawrence Cannon of exiling the Montreal man by denying him a passport to return to Canada.

Cannon told a Federal Court hearing today he did not exile Abdelrazik, but refused him an emergency travel document on national security grounds in the best interests of Canada.

The Sudanese-born Abdelrazik, now 62, settled in Montreal as a refugee and became a Canadian citizen in the 1990s.

During a 2003 visit to his native country to see his ailing mother, he was arrested, imprisoned and questioned about suspected extremist connections.