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

Download the poster here! (PDF)

Download the poster here! (PDF)

Sanctions-Busing Telethon

April 28, 2010

A sanctions-busting telethon held in support of Abousfian Abdelrazik in Montreal on April 28th, 2010 was a resounding success. More than 120 people from across the country responded to the appeal to donate to Abdelrazik, though they were aware that they risked federal prosecution by doing so.

• A longer report of the event can be found here
• A photo album of the event
• A longer report of the event can be found here: rabble.ca
• Original call out for the telethon

"The telethon was a measure of the depth and breadth of Canadian opposition to this arbitrary sanctions regime. In a span of two hours, scores of people took an action they knew might result in criminal charges against them – it was a categorical rejection of the fear and racism these measures rely on," said Cory Legassic, a spokesperson for Project Fly Home.

Because Abdelrazik’s name appears on a Security Council blacklist - known as the ‘1267 list’ after the resolution which established it – he is subject to financial sanctions imposed by the Canadian government. These stipulate that no Canadian shall "provide or collect by any means, directly or indirectly, funds with the intention that the funds be used" by someone on the 1267 list.

"People called in from Vancouver to Halifax; from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Nunavut. We even got a couple of calls from the United States. Our telephone operators were literally overwhelmed with calls for the full two hours – even after we tried to shut the line down, people kept calling. People also contacted Project Fly Home afterwards to let us know that they hadn’t been able to get through because the lines were so busy," added Legassic.

At the event in Montreal, an eclectic mix of performances – poetry, story-telling, folk, classical oud, and cabaret – mingled with the voices of phone operators welcoming callers. Operators systematically read the section of the law that could be used against contributors, to ensure the callers understood the situation. As calls came in, the level of a giant "sanctions-busting barometer" rose to indicate the number of people breaking the sanctions, and pins were placed on a map of Canada showing where people had called from.

"People who called in were very determined; very indignant that Mr. Abdelrazik is being treated this way, after all that he has already suffered at the hands of this and previous governments; and very concerned that people can be put under sanctions in such an arbitrary and Kafkaesque way," said Liam Olson-Mayes, who helped take calls.

"Project Fly Home has also received copies of letters people have sent to Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon informing him that they have donated to Mr. Abdelrazik and urging him to immediately lift the sanctions his government is imposing on Mr. Abdelrazik and withdraw entirely from this draconian sanctions regime," said Legassic.

"Seven years is enough, for me and for my family," said Mr. Abdelrazik. "I spent six years trying to come home, I can’t spend another six trying to get off this list. This list makes me insecure and isolates me from others; until I am free of it, I won’t feel like I am truly home."

The telethon was broadcast live on rabble.ca television and CKUT 90.3 FM broadcast live onsite.

BLACKlisted Then and Now:

Linking Histories of Racism and National Security in Montreal

Wednesday, 24 February 2010, 7pm

Dawson College, Rm 4C1, 3040 Sherbrooke W (Atwater Metro)

Download the poster here! (PDF)

February is Black History Month. Join Project Fly Home and the Alfie Roberts Institute in a panel discussion about state surveillance and repression of members of Montreal's black community in the name of national security in the 1960s and today.

• David Austin - Black Community Organizing and Internationalism and Canadian State Security: Lessons from the 1960s. David Austin is founder and trustee of the Alfie Roberts Institute, an independent research institute based in Montreal. He is editor of "You Don't Play with Revolution: C.L.R. James's Montreal Lectures," a series of talks delivered by C.L.R. James in Montreal in the 1960s (AK Press, 2009).


• Khalid Elgazzar - The United Nations 1267 "terrorist blacklist" and the case of Abousfian Abdelrazik. Khalid Elgazzar is an Ottawa-based lawyer who specializes in the areas of civil litigation and civil liberties law. Khalid was part of the legal team that represented Abousfian Abdelrazik in the matter of Abdelrazik v. Minster of Foreign Affairs which eventually led to Mr. Abdelrazik's repatriation from Sudan.


• Update on the case of Gary Freeman - In 2008, Gary Freeman was extradited from Canada to the United States to face decades-old charges stemming from anincident involving a white police officer in the racially and politically charged Chicago of 1969. Under a plea bargain, he spent 30 days in jail and two years on probation. He is now trying to return to his wife and four children in Canada, his home of 30 years, but the Canadian government is refusing him entry on "national security grounds", alleging that he was a member of the Black Panther Party, which they further allege engaged in "terrorism". www.freemandrum.org.


• Project Fly Home, Getting Listed - Connections Between Racism and National Security. Project Fly Home is a support committee for Abousfian Abdelrazik, as well as an initiative of the People's Commission Network. While fighting to get Abdelrazik off the UN's 1267 List, Project Fly Home recognizes that Abdelrazik's struggle is not an isolated case. We oppose the national security agenda and the mechanisms of control that target different communities and groups.

This panel is part of a six-month campaign launched by Project Fly Home to demand that Canada immediately free Abdelrazik from the sanctions he is subject to under the "1267" regime, that Canada put pressure on members of the 1267 committee to delist Abdelrazik, and that the 1267 regime be scrapped.

To add your organization to the list of groups endorsing Project Fly Home's six demands, please read the sign-on statement and email your organization's name in English and French to projectflyhome@gmail.com

Download the poster here! (PDF)

No more cages, no more lists!

No more racist scapegoating:

Solidarity With Abdelrazik!

Saturday, 12 December 2009, at 12:30pm

Carré Phillips (Ste-Catherine's and Union, metro McGill)

• Excellent video by Stephan Kazemi, "Abousfian's International Human Rights Day in Montreal featuring inspiring speeches by Tatiana Gomez and Gaynde Djibril
• Photos by Shahrzad Arshadi, with more quotes from the rally

FESTIVE SOLIDARITY RALLY

BRING YOUR NOISE-MAKERS, BANNERS, SIGNS!

View the press release for this event!

To mark International Human Rights Day, come out to support Abdelrazik, still "imprisoned" by the UN 1267 list. Join us in a lively, noisy demonstration to demand that the federal government act now to ensure that he regains his full liberty.

Abousfian Abdelrazik, like Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati, Muayyed Nureddin, Maher Arar, Omar Khadr, the security certificate detainees and others, is a victim of the national security agenda, which has trashed the fundamental rights and dignity of immigrants and racialized communities in Canada. Abousfian Abdelrazik is still denied justice and dignity - with the Harper government refusing to take serious action to ensure that his name is removed from the 1267 list.

Canadian regulations implementing the 1267 list forbid anyone from providing material aid to Abdelrazik, including salary, loans, food or clothes. In July 2009, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon and Minister of Public Safety Peter Van Loan refused Abdelrazik's request to meet in order to seek help in having his name removed from the list. Instead, the Ministers cynically referred Abdelrazik to delisting procedures on the 1267 Committee's website.

Support Abdelrazik's rights and freedoms, so that he can live with full dignity. Join Project Fly Home in the streets to publicly demand that:

1. Canada take all necessary action to ensure that Abousfian Abdelrazik's name be immediately taken off the UN's 1267 list;

2. Canada use all means in its power to compel the UN Security Council to scrap the 1267 list, including repealing its own regulations implementing this list.

Join us to show your indignation at the Canadian government's inaction in Abdelrazik's case, and at Lawrence Canon, Peter Van Loan and Stephen Harper, who are responsible for the nightmare that Abdelrazik lived. Join us to denounce their actions, as well as the systemic racism which allows the state to practice profiling and discrimation towards entire communities.

Background: 1267 List

While the 1267 list imposes severe and indefinite restrictions on the liberty of individuals and their families, the listing and delisting procedures utterly fail to meet the most minimal due process standards. The allegations are vague, the evidence, if any, is secret, and there is no right to a hearing or appeal. The Federal Court wrote in its June 2009 decision on 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."

The United Nations Al Qaeda and Taliban Regulations which implement the 1267 list in Canada were never even debated in Parliament. They nevertheless purport to authorize violations of the most fundamental human rights.

Both the UN 1267 list and the Canadian regulations implementing the list serve a political agenda which relies on a racist concept of "national security". Highly profitable for some, this agenda further marginalizes targeted communities, creates fear and silences debate, delegitimizes resistance and justifies oppression. On the global front, the national security agenda has unleashed a war of terror on the Muslim and Arab world which has wrecked devastation and left countless people dead.

• To endorse Project Fly Home's campaign, to get involved, to organize an activity in your neighbourhood or for public eduation materials, contact us at projectflyhome@gmail.com or visit our website
• For more information on Abdelrazik, the national security agenda, CSIS and more: peoplescommission.org

PROJECT FLY HOME projectflyhome@gmail.com www.peoplescommission.org/en/abdelrazik

Project Fly Home is a project of the People's Commission Network.

Rally sponsored by CKUT radio.

Download the poster here! (PDF)

Download the poster here! (2 MB) (French Version)

To break the silence and end the fear - Abdelrazik Speaks For Justice

September 24th to October 16, 2009

See a video of the conference!

Abousfian Abdelrazik, recently returned from 6 years of forced exile in Sudan, will be on tour across Quebec and eastern Canada, from the 24th of September to the 17th of October, accompanied by members of Project Fly Home. The tour is sponsored nationally by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Council of Canadians, Council on American-Islamic Relations - Canada (CAIRCAN), International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (ICLMG), and the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA).

MAIN EVENTS

Montreal Thursday, 24 September at 6pm (dinner) & 7pm (panel & strategy forum) CEDA, 2515 rue Delisle Hosted by: Project Fly Home (People's Commission Network) More information: projectflyhome[at]gmail.com Sherbrooke Friday, 25 September at 12:30 Carrefour de l'Information (agora de la bibliothèque principale) University of Sherbrooke More information: rajestrie[at]leraj.org Halifax, Nova Scotia Monday, 28 September at 7pm Room 105, 6061 University Avenue Weldon Law Building, Dalhousie University Hosted by: Halifax Peace Coalition (www.halifaxpeacecoalition.ca ) and NSPIRG (www.nspirg.org) More information: halifaxpeacecoalition[at]gmail.com

Abdelrazik and Project Fly Home member Jo Wood stop for a swing break in northern Ontario during his fall 2009 speaking tour.

Fredericton, New Brunswick Tuesday, 29 September at 7pm Tilley Hall, Room 303, University of New Brunswick Hosted by: Fredericton Peace Coalition More information: info[at]frederictonpeace.org Williamstown, Ontario Thursday, 1 October at 7pm Williamstown Branch, SDG County Library (Sir John Johnson Manor House) Hosted by: Williamstown Public Library Speakers' Series More information: williamstownlib[at]sdglibrary.ca or tel. 613-347-3397 Ottawa Friday, 2 October at 2:30pm 360 Tory Building, Carleton University More information: bill_skidmore[at]carleton.ca or (613) 520-2600, ext. 2359 Ottawa Friday, 2 October at 7pm Tom Brown Arena Hall, 141 Bayview Rd. (at Wellington) Hosted by: NOWAR PAIX More information: nowar.paix[at]gmail.com Gatineau, Québec Saturday, 3 October at 1pm Salle C-0416, Pavillon Alexandre-Taché, Université du Québec en Outaouais 283 Alexandre-Taché Boulevard Hosted by: Rassemblement Outaouais Contre la Guerre (ROCG) More information: info[at]rocg.ca Peterborough, Ontario Sunday, 4 October 3:00 pm - Public Talk 5:00 pm - Community Reception (with snacks) Peterborough Public Library, 345 Aylmer St. N. Hosted by: Peterborough and Kawarthas chapter - Council of Canadians, Community and Race Relations Committee, Food Not Bombs, New Canadians Centre, OPIRG More information: racerelation[at]gmail.com Kingston, Ontario Monday, 5 October at 11:30am Room 001, Law Building, Queen's University Hosted by: International Speakers' Series and Law Students' Society More information: darryl.robinson[at]queensu.ca Kingston, Ontario Monday, 5 October at 6.30pm Wilson Room, Kingston Frontenac Library-Central, 130 Johnson Street Hosted by: No one is illegal Kingston, Society of Graduate and Professional Students, Ontario Public Interest Research Group - Kingston, Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul More information: noiikingston[at]gmail.com Kitchener, Ontario Tuesday, 6 October at 4:30pm Potluck and Barbeque K-W Community Centre for Social Justice, 63 Courtland Hosted by: KWCCSJ and AW@L More information: sarcalison[at]hotmail.com Kitchener, Ontario Tuesday, 6 October at 7pm EIT Building, room 1015, University of Waterloo Hosted by: WIPIRG More information: sarcalison[at]hotmail.com and evan[at]wpirg.org. London, Ontario Wednesday, 7 October at 1pm Wemple Student Lounge, King's University College, UWO Hosted by: King's University College Centre for Social Concern More information: bhammond[at]uwo.ca Windsor, Ontario Wednesday, 7 October at 7pm Oak room, Vanier Hall, University of Windsor Hosted by: Windsor Peace Coalition and the Unitarian Universalists of Windsor More information: catherineforpeace[at]hotmail.com Toronto Thursday, 8 October at 7pm Steelworkers' Hall, 25 Cecil St. Hosted by: Stop Canadian Involvement in Torture and Christian Peacemaker Teams and endorsed by the Centre for Integrated Anti-Racism Studies (CIARS) at OISE More information: tasc[at]web.ca Hamilton, Ontario Friday, 9 October at 7pm The Skydragon Centre, 27 King William St. Hosted by: Amnesty International Hamilton #1, Amnesty International Burlington #21, Common Cause - Hamilton and Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3396 More information: cshannon9[at]cogeco.ca Mississauga, Ontario Saturday, 10 October at 6pm Blind Duck Restaurant, Student Centre, University of Toronto 3359 Mississauga Road North Fundraising dinner with Suad Hagui and Faraz Siddiqui Hosted by: Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) More information: info[at]caf.ca or 416 493 8653 Sudbury, Ontario Tuesday, 13 October at 7 pm Arts Building, Laurentian University, room A226 Hosted by: Sudbury Against War and Occupation More information: tel. 705-688-8694 or sudburyawo[at]gmail.com Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Wednesday, 14 October at 7pm Algoma University - Doc Brown Lounge (EW 205) Refreshments provided, admission by donation Hosted by: Fair Trade Algoma, AU Community Economic and Social Development (CESD) Department More information: rebecca.stuebing[at]algomau.ca Sioux Lookout, Ontario Friday, 16 October, 7pm St. Andrew's United Church Hall (21 Sixth Avenue). Hosted by: Sioux Lookout Anti-Racist Committee More information: tel 807-737-1501 or info[at]slarc.ca Winnipeg, Manitoba Saturday, 17 October at 5 p.m. Knox United Church, 400 Edmonton St. Hosted by: Peace Alliance Winnipeg More information: www.peacealliancewinnipeg.ca or tel 204.775.4981

BACKGROUND

Abousfian Abdelrazik, like Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati, Muayyed Nureddin and Maher Arar, is another victim of a racist national security agenda that has gained so much ground in Canada over the past decade.

On the recommendation of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Abdelrazik was jailed and imprisoned while on a visit to Sudan in 2003. Never charged, Abdelrazik was beaten, threatened and tortured during two periods of detention. In this context, he was questioned by CSIS.

Prevented by the Canadian government from returning home to Canada, he went public with his story and took refuge in the Canadian Embassy in Khartoum, where he remained for more than one year.

It took a groundswell from people across Canada, as well legal action, to finally bring about his return and reunion with his children in Montreal on June 27, 2009.

After six harrowing years in exile, Abdelrazik is home -- but his struggle is not over. In 2006, without his knowledge and with no opportunity to respond, Abdelrazik's name was placed on the UN's "1267 List". This Kafka-esque list imposes a travel ban and total asset freeze on listed individuals. Canadian regulations implementing the 1267 List prohibit anyone from providing Abdelrazik with any material aid - including salary, loans of any amount, food or clothing.

On tour with Project Fly Home, Abdelrazik will speak about his experiences and his on-going struggle for justice, as he seeks to re-establish a normal life in Canada. These community gatherings will be a chance to hear his story, as well as an opportunity to strategize together about how to make real changes to the structures which allow this to happen.

Speaking tour - Montreal, QC

Thursday, 24 September

CEDA, 2515 Delisle St., Montreal (near Lionel-Groulx Metro)

Free community dinner followed by a talk from Abdelrazik and a public strategy forum

• 6 pm Community Dinner
• 7 pm Speaking Event & Strategy Forum
• Free Dinner (halal & veg)
• English-French-Arabic Translation
• Free Child Care

The launch of the speaking tour will take place the 24th of September in Montreal, at a community dinner during which Abdelrazik will tell his story, followed by a public forum to discuss strategies and next steps in his campaign for justice.

Download the poster here! (2 MB).

AbouSoufian to tell his story in public

Thursday, 23 July, 10am

Parliament Hill, Ottawa

Please come to Parliament Hill at 10am to greet Abousfian as he arrives to tell part of his story in a press conference in Parliament at 10:30am. Your support will be greatly appreciated. Signs and banners are great. Note that the press gallery limits the number of people who can attend, but can make our presence felt outside and encourage Abousfian with our support.

Abdelrazik goes to Federal Court in Montreal

Tuesday, July 7, 2 pm

Federal Court (30 McGill Street, Metro Square Victoria)

See a list of people available for interview here!

On July 7th, Abousfian Abdelrazik, after finally returning Montreal, will appear in court to answer questions from Judge Russell Zinn. On June 4th, Judge Zinn ordered the Government of Canada to bring Mr. Abdelrazik back to Canada as quickly as possible. He had also highlighted the involvement of CSIS officials in the imprisonment of Mr. Abdelrazik, and "bad faith" of the federal government in this case.

Come out to show your support on Tuesday, 7 July as Abousfian appears in Federal Court (30 McGill Street, metro Square Victoria), as requested by the Federal Court order as final proof that the government obeyed the judge's ruling to bring Abousfian home.

Abdelrazik Arrives in Montreal - Festive Welcome Home Celebratory Rally

Late night Saturday, 27 June 2009, starting at midnight

(during the night Saturday to Sunday)

Corner Ste-Catherine and St-Hubert, downtown Montreal

See the first part of a video here!

See the second part of the video here!

See a photo essay of the event!

Follow Abousfian on Twitter!

Supporters cheer Abousfian as he appears.

Abousufian will be returning home to Montreal this Saturday around midnight after a six-year forced exile in Sudan, where he experienced torture, imprisonment without trial, and over one year trapped in the Canadian embassy. All with the involvement of Canadian officials.

Let's give him a warm welcome home. One of the few things that he indicated he would like is to greet some of his supporters upon his arrival. It's the least we can do.

Abousfian flanked by Denis Barrette (centre), Ligue des droits et liberté

While we await his arrival, there will be an opportunity to make cards, posters, banners and video messages to greet him, as well as friendly conversation and refreshments.

Bring your noise-makers, confetti, coloured flags and festive spirits to celebrate his return and this (small) victory.