Ottawa cites UN watch list for stranding of Canadian in Sudan

OMAR EL AKKAD AND PAUL KORING OTTAWA AND WASHINGTON Canada cannot bring home Abousfian Abdelrazik, a Canadian citizen stranded in Khartoum, because of his inclusion on a United Nations list of individuals with possible ties to al-Qaeda, a government lawyer told an Ottawa court Tuesday. It was the government's first public explanation for its refusal to repatriate Mr. Abdelrazik, who has been charged with no crime. The Canadian's lawyers have repeatedly claimed that Ottawa can repatriate Mr. Abdelrazik at any time, and that his detention in Sudan came at Ottawa's request. The UN list itself contains examples of individuals who were returned home even though they were never delisted. Government lawyer Anne Turley's argument that Canada cannot bring Mr. Abdelrazik home seemed to rest on the premise that not only does inclusion... [read full story]