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CKUT radio: Abdelrazik solidarity rally

by Stefan Christoff

Abdelrazik solidarity: Photo Elsa Marie Jabre
Abdelrazik solidarity: Photo Elsa Marie Jabre

Over one-hundred people gathered on the streets in downtown Montreal on Saturday, December 11th for a solidarity rally with Abousfian Abdelrazik organized by the Project Fly Home campaign. The street march occurred around international human rights day with the aim of highlighting the ongoing struggle of Abdelrazik for justice over one year after his return to Canada.

Abdelrazik was exiled in Sudan between 2003 and 2009 and faced imprisonment without charge and torture due to a secrete investigation undertaken by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Despite no public evidence or charges being leveled against Abdelrazik exile continued in Sudan because Canada refused to issue Abdelrazik a new passport to return home to Montreal, in contradiction to Canada's citizenship laws.

Abdelrazik returned to Canada in June 2009 after a federal court ruled in favor of Abdelrazik's return in response to a major grassroots campaign across Canada lead by activists pushing for justice in Abdelrazik's case via street protests, rallies and media mobilization.

Despite having returned to Canada Abdelrazik remains in a legal prison, bound by the UN 1267 Regime.

The 1267 List is an international tool which imposes a travel ban and an asset freeze on listed individuals and organizations. The list is managed by the United Nations Security Council but implemented by each UN member nation, such as Canada. It represents a new global regime of political control, in which states cooperate across borders to impose politically-motivated sanctions on individuals or organizations.

In solidarity with Abdelrazik's struggle to be liberated from the UN 1267 list people gathered on the streets in Montreal to protest and to call on the Canadian government to immediately take action to ensure that Abdelrazik is freed from the 1267 list.

This radio report includes interviews with Maria Forti, an activist with the Project Fly Home campaign and also with Adil Charkaoui, who joined the demonstration to support Abdelrazik after his own struggle against a 'security certificate' brought him twice to the supreme court of Canada. Charkaoui was cleared of the 'security certificate' by a federal court in Canada after a long grassroots community campaign.

This radio report was produced for broadcast by Stefan Christoff on CKUT community radio in Montreal.

* For more information on Project Fly Home campaign & Abousfian Abdelrazik visit: http://www.peoplescommission.org/en/abdelrazik/

* main music used in report via Susumu Yokota http://www.susumuyokota.org/

* Stefan Christoff is a journalist and activist based in Montreal who is at http://www.twitter.com/spirodon

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Topics: Solidarity
Tags: Montreal

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Stefan Christoff (Stefan Christoff)
Montreal, Quebec
Member since April 2010

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Stefan Christoff is a Montreal-based journalist, community organizer and musician.

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