OTTAWA — A lawyer for Abousfian Abdelrazik accused the federal government of "serial hypocrisies" as closing arguments began on his client's lawsuit over his prolonged detention in Sudan.
Paul Champ argued during a Federal Court hearing today that federal officials contributed to the grave breaches of fundamental human rights that Abdelrazik suffered over a period of six years.
The Sudanese-born Abdelrazik settled in Montreal as a refugee and became a Canadian citizen in 1995.
During a 2003 visit to his native country to see his ailing mother, he was arrested, imprisoned and questioned about suspected extremist connections.
Abdelrazik, who denies involvement in terrorism, says he was tortured by Sudanese authorities during two intervals of detention.
Abdelrazik is suing the Canadian government, claiming federal officials encouraged his detention by Sudanese authorities and actively obstructed his repatriation to Canada for several years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2025.
Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press
