Abousfian Abdelrazik update

Last week's successful Abdelrazik telethon netted several thousand dollars--and a list of more than a hundred Canadians willing to break the law.

As I have noted previously, Canadian legislation prohibits any material support to a person on the infamous UN "1267 list." It is illegal to do so much as buy our fellow-citizen a cup of coffee. The fact that he is alive today means that the law has been continually broken since his return.

Readers will recall that Abdelrazik's life savings--$10,000 from his late wife--was recently seized:

The Royal Bank refused to open a bank account for him on the grounds that this would violate the Canadian 1267 regulations. The Caisse populaire subsequently agreed to open an account, only to freeze it, with Abdelrazik's entire savings, shortly afterwards.

In the midst of the telethon, it was announced that an "exemption" had been obtained by Abdelrazik's lawyers, whereby he could draw what amounts to an allowance from that bank account to cover his basic needs. But as one commentator put it, this is simply a window in his prison. And for those interested in sovereignty issues, permission for this had to be obtained from UN Security Council drones in New York.

In any case,

[T]he exemption is not enough. Addressing Stephen Harper and Foreign Affairs minister Lawrence Cannon directly, Abdelrazik pleaded, through an Arabic-speaking interpreter: "I'm asking you at least for once to give priority to the human side. My kids, my family, have suffered for seven years. Please address the United Nations and ask that my name by taken off this inhuman list. I want to live like any other Canadian. I want a normal life."

That he should have to beg like this is indicative of how low Canada has sunk under the current government.

Those who wish to make Abdelrazik feel at home in his own country can join the sanctions-busting movement by getting in touch with Project Fly Home, and by donating directly. Cheques or money-orders should be made out to Abousfian Abdelrazik, and mailed to CSCP Charlevoix, P.O. Box 65053, Montréal, Q.C., H3K 0K4.

Stay tuned: more developments in the campaign are in the offing.