Listen to an audio statement from Abousfian Abdelrazik on April 1st, 2009 by clicking the play button below. You can download the MP3 here.

Just Work: Work against the 1267 Regime

In May, the month of workers' struggle, Project Fly Home is calling for support for Abousfian Abdelrazik's right to work freely and in dignity.

Under Canadian law it is illegal for any Canadian to “provide or collect by any means, directly or indirectly, funds with the intention that the funds be used” by listed individuals. This prevents Abdelrazik from working, since anyone paying him a salary could be charged. The penalty is up to ten years in prison.

Canadian Labour Congress, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Canadian section of the International Machinists and Windsor Labour Council are hiring Abdelrazik, in conscious violation of Canadian law implementing the 1267 regime in Canada and in order to support his right to earn a living in freedom and with dignity.

In response, Lawrence Cannon repeated cynical claims he has made in the past that it is up to Abdelrazik to get himself off the list.

What Lawrence Cannon is concealing is that it is within his immediate power to lift the sanctions from Abdelrazik. The sanctions are imposed and enforced by Canada, under Canadian law. Cabinet could immediately pass an Order in Council to modify or repeal the regulations which implement the 1267 regime in Canada - tomorrow, or today! Read our "Reality Check" here.

1. BUILD THE MOMENTUM. The Canadian Labour Congress has issued a call to Federations of Labour and Labour Councils across Canada to support Project Fly Home's campaign against the UN Security Council's 1267 regime in support of Abdelrazik and the right to work freely and with dignity.

   The campaign resolution calls for Canada to 1) immediately lift the sanctions imposed on Abdelrazik by Canada; 2) actively lobby Security Council members to remove his name from the 1267 list; and 3) withdraw entirely from the 1267 regime.

   Please bring this resolution to your local, labour council or union and ask them to adopt it and to hire Abdelrazik for a day to document his story.

   The Canadian Labour Congress resolution can be found here.

2. POINT THE FINGER. Let Mr. Cannon know that it is up to HIM to act. No more hiding behind the United Nations. Cabinet should immediately repeal the regulations implementing the 1267 list in Canada.

   Write/call/fax Mr. Cannon with the simple message that it is up to HIM to act to free Mr. Abdelrazik. Demand that he ask Cabinet to pass an Order in Council revoking the regulations which implement the unconstitutional and unjust 1267 regime in Canada. Tell him to stop hiding behind the United Nations.

   Tel: (613) 992-5516 and (819) 281-2626 Fax: (613) 992-6802 and (819) 281-2755 Email: Cannon.L@parl.gc.ca

In April, Project Fly Home is calling on you to:

PUT THE PRESSURE ON! BREAK THE 1267 SANCTIONS!

According to the 1267 sanctions regime and under federal law, anyone who contributes money to Mr. Abdelrazik risks federal prosecution. Canadian regulations state that no Canadian shall "provide or collect by any means, directly or indirectly, funds with the intention that the funds be used" by a listed person.

We are calling on you to restate your solidarity or join the long list of people who have defied the 1267 regime by contributing money to Mr. Abdelrazik. Your donations will support Mr. Abdelrazik personally, and the very act of donating will help challenge the oppressive "national security" logic, which creates and feeds on fear, racism and isolation.

The April 28th Telethon was an enormous success ((link through to the Past events report on April 28th)). Many thanks and congratulations to all who participated. If you were unable to get through during the telethon because the lines were too busy, we apologize!

It is not too late, you can still participate and send a strong message to the Canadian government. Please note, no donation is too small! This is not about raising a lot of funds, but challenging the 1267 regime.

• Step 1. Make a check or money order to the order of "Abousfian Abdelrazik" and mail it to:

  CSCP Charlevoix
  PO Box 65053
  Montréal QC H3K 0K4

• Step 2. Fill out the blanks in the letter linked here and send it to Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon at Cannon.L@parl.gc.ca, to inform him that you have sent money to Abousfian Abdelrazik in open protest of the 1267 regime, and calling on him to lift the sanctions from Abdelrazik without delay.

Six-Month Campaign

Call to Action for the Month of March

Download the postcard here! (PDF)

Download the flyer here! (PDF)

In March, Project Fly Home asks supporters to:

1. Join the postcard campaign: send a postcard yourself and distribute postcards to others in your networks.

   • To order full-colour postcards, email us at projectflyhome@gmail.com
   • Download postcard (French version here)
   • Download campaign flyers (to distribute with the postcards) (French version here)

2. Publish articles related to the campaign in local, campus and alternative media.

   • Backgrounder on 1267 list
   • Get in touch with us for ideas for articles and information on how to get published: projectflyhome@gmail.com

   Please don't forget to send us your published articles.

Delist Now!

Six-Month Campaign to Free Abousfian Abdelrazik from the Prison Without Walls

June 27th will mark the one-year anniversary of Abousfian Abdelrazik's return to Canada after six years of forced exile and imprisonment in Sudan. Though this anniversary is something to celebrate, many challenges remain for Mr. Abdelrazik and the broader fight against oppressive "security" measures and racism. Mr. Abdelrazik is home, but not yet free and the fight against the UN 1267 regime and for a normal life for Mr. Abdelrazik has only just begun.

The UN 1267 List, which has included Mr. Abdelrazik's name since 2006, subjects individuals to a flight ban, an arms embargo and a complete asset freeze. These restrictions are severe and indefinite. Listed individuals face vague allegations, have no right to a hearing before they are placed on the list, and are provided with no evidence to support the claims against them. The Federal Court wrote in its June 2009 decision on Mr. Abdelrazik's case, "There is nothing in the listing or de-listing procedure that recognizes the principles of natural justice or that provides for basic procedural fairness." (For more information, please read our backgrounder on the 1267 List)

Project Fly Home invites you to join us over the next six months as we wage an intense campaign focused on three specific demands, which we hope will help move us towards the abolition of the 1267 List and challenge the racist national security agenda as a whole. If this campaign is successful, Mr. Abdelrazik will be able to mark this upcoming one-year of his return with his fundamental rights and freedoms restored.

Over the next six months, we are asking the government to immediately:

1. Lift the domestic sanctions on Mr. Abdelrazik (whether by modifying the regulations implementing the 1267 regime in Canada so they no longer apply to Abdelrazik or by revoking them entirely)

   In 2002, Canada changed the Al Qaida and Taliban Regulations (the domestic legislation implementing the 1267 regime) to exempt Mr. Liban Hussein, the only Canadian then on the 1267 list (for more information on Mr. Liban Hussein, see this article). We demand that the government do the same for Mr. Abdelrazik, or otherwise take action to immediately free him from the sanctions in Canada, ideally repealing the regulations entirely, to be consistent with basic principles of justice and Canadian and international human rights law.

2. Contact all United Nations Security Council members to inform them that Mr. Abdelrazik's removal from the 1267 list is a diplomatic priority for Canada;

   Though the Canadian government asked the UN 1267 Committee to remove Mr. Abdelrazik's name from the 1267 List in 2007, it is very difficult to get off the 1267 List once you are on it. There are, in fact, dozens of dead people on the list. Delisting requires the consensus of all members of the committee. Thus, each member of the committee can block a delisting request, and is not required to provide any reason for doing so. This leads to decisions that seem to have much less to do with the individuals in question than external political objectives. The Canadian government must champion Mr. Abdelrazik's case to the Committee, by clearly making it a diplomatic priority in their relations with the members of the committee, in order for him to be delisted.

3. Revoke the regulations implementing the 1267 regime in Canada, as a first step to demonstrating Canada's firm opposition to that regime.

   In the next six months, Project Fly Home Montreal will be organizing a number of actions and events in the context of this campaign. Please stay posted for more details!

   Please plan your own actions to support this campaign in the lead-up to the first anniversary of Mr. Abdelrazik's return to Canada.

   To get involved, for more information, or to inform us of your plans to support this six-month focused campaign, please contact us at projectflyhome@gmail.com.

To get in touch with Project Fly Home, contact us at projectflyhome@gmail.com

1. Ask your organization to endorse Project Fly Home's six demands. Read the statement of demands here. To add your organization's name to the list of endorsers, please email us at projectflyhome@gmail.com.

2. Ask your MP to write a letter to Minister of Public Safety Peter van Loan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon in support of delisting Abousfian Abdelrazik and opposing the 1267 list, as well as the regulations that implement it in Canada, as utterly failing to make fundamental standards of justice.

   Provide us with a copy of the letter: email it to projectflyhome@gmail.com or fax it to us c/o People's Commission Network at 514 848 7584.

   

   Abousfian (right) with his lawyer Yavar Hameed before they boarded the flight in Khartoum to return to Canada.

   Lawrence Cannon Minister of Foreign Affairs CannoL@parl.gc.ca Fax (613) 992-6802

   Peter Van Loan Minister of Public Safety VanLoP@parl.gc.ca Fax (613) 992-8351

   Find the MP contact information here

3. Subscribe to our newslist to stay in touch with developments and events by sending your email to projectflyhome@gmail.com.

4. Please donate to the campaign. Although we are all volunteers, our work to support Abdelrazik's campaign involves many costs, and we depend entirely on contributions to cover those costs. A very big thank you to those of you who have already supported us; your generosity has made it possible for us to continue. Please make your checks out to "Solidarité sans frontières", with "Project Fly Home" in the subject line and send it to:

   CSCP Charlevoix PO Box 65053 Montréal QC H3K 0K4