Abousfian Abdelrazik

Abousfian Abdelrazik
Born	(1962-01-01) January 1, 1962 Sudan
Nationality	Sudanese, Canadian
Other names	Abu Sufian Abd Al-Razziq
Occupation(s)	Machinist, Healer
Known for	Alleged terrorism links, legal battle for repatriation, human rights case

Abousfian Abdelrazik, also known as Abu Sufian Abd Al-Razziq (), holds dual citizenship in Sudan and Canada.

On July 23, 2006, the United States Department of the Treasury labeled him as an al-Qaeda affiliate and terrorist. Despite this, investigations conducted by Sudanese officials, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) found no evidence to support these claims. After being detained in Sudan, the Canadian authorities refused to issue travel documents, preventing his return to Canada.

The Federal Court of Canada ruled on June 4, 2009, that Abdelrazik’s rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms had been infringed upon, ordering the government to assist in his repatriation. He arrived back in Canada on June 27.

Prior to his return, Abdelrazik was the sole living Canadian listed on the United Nations Security Council's sanctions list ("1267 List"), which enforces measures such as asset freezes and travel restrictions. Upon his return, he initiated legal action against the government seeking C$24 million in damages along with an additional C$3 million related to alleged misconduct by Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon. He also contested the Canadian laws enforcing the 1267 sanctions regime. His situation is comparable to those of other Canadians like Maher Arar and Abdullah Almalki. Abdelrazik reported experiencing torture during his detention in Sudan; notably, the Canadian government acknowledged that CSIS officers questioned him while he was held.

On November 30, 2011, he was officially removed from the UN sanctions list.

In April 2018, Canada withdrew from mediation efforts intended to settle Abdelrazik’s lawsuit.

Later that August, several current and former members of Parliament were summoned to provide testimony related to his case. Most complied with the subpoenas; however, Peter Harder, former deputy foreign affairs minister and Senate representative, cited legal privilege to abstain from testifying during parliamentary sessions. Other parliamentarians involved with this matter—including Sen. Mobina Jaffer, Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai, Liberal MP Wayne Easter, and Quebec MP Maxime Bernier—expressed readiness to testify according to Abdelrazik’s attorney Paul Champ.

Life

Born in Sudan on January 1, 1962, Abdelrazik initially trained as a machinist. Following the 1989 Sudanese coup d'état led by Omar al-Bashir, he faced imprisonment due to his political beliefs. In 1990, he sought refuge in Canada and was granted permanent residency in Canada two years later. He married a French Canadian woman in 1994, fathered a daughter, and became a Canadian citizen in 1995.

Described as a devoted Muslim who frequently recited the Quran for the ill and earned income as a healer, Abdelrazik explained that his visits to countries such as Pakistan and Bosnia were motivated by humanitarian efforts supported through religious activities and community contributions. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, he revealed that he refrained from naming his financial backers to avoid unwanted attention: "Following my lawyers' advice... I had earned money through charitable recitations. I chose not to disclose those who supported me because I understood how guilt by association could be misapplied."

In 2000, Abdelrazik voluntarily provided testimony via videoconference during the trial of Ahmed Ressam, known as the "millennium bomber." While acknowledging acquaintance with Ressam through Montreal’s Assuna Annabawiah mosque, he denied any knowledge of attack plans or Ressam’s movements after leaving Vancouver. His first wife passed away from cancer in 2002.

Detention and subsequent isolation in Sudan

In early 2003, Abdelrazik made his way back to Sudan—officially to see his ailing mother, although an associate suggested he left Canada due to pressure from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Once in Sudan, he was taken into custody without formal charges; records indicate Sudanese authorities detained him following a request from Canada. In an affidavit from 2003, he acknowledged providing interrogators with responses they sought, regardless of their accuracy. After being held since September, he was freed in July 2004.

His relatives purchased a flight ticket for his return to Montreal, but airlines declined to transport him because he was listed on the US no-fly registry. Consequently, Sudan compelled him to remain under police monitoring. In September 2004, his Montreal-based spouse divorced him; the following month he married a Sudanese woman and fathered a child in 2005.

On October 10, 2004, Sudan proposed repatriating him to Canada via a private plane if expenses were shared; this offer was declined by Canadian authorities. On July 26, 2005, Sudan’s Justice Minister officially stated there was no proof linking Abdelrazik to terrorism or al-Qaeda. Nonetheless, he was detained again in November 2005 and released once more in July 2006.

Shortly after his second release, the United Nations' 1267 Committee placed him on its list of individuals suspected of ties to the Taliban or al-Qaida. Canada refused to renew his passport or issue travel documents, effectively barring commercial travel. It also turned down Sudan’s proposal to transport him on a government aircraft exempt from flight restrictions.

Role of Canadian and US intelligence agencies

CSIS had been surveilling Mr. Abdelrazik since 1999 due to his connections with other Muslim men under investigation. Documents obtained by The Globe and Mail contradicted Canadian government assertions that it had not requested Abdelrazik’s detention; these records revealed that Canada sought his detention in 2003 and took part in his interrogation that October. In June 2009, the Federal Court determined it was likely that Abdelrazik’s detention occurred at CSIS’s behest. While stranded in Sudan, Canadian diplomat Sean Robertson directed embassy personnel not to accompany Abdelrazik during FBI and Sudanese intelligence interrogations.

Court filings in Canada disclosed that Abdelrazik was questioned by two CSIS agents while held by Sudanese authorities, facing threats of torture and without formal charges. Embassy officials negotiated with Abdelrazik by promising to contact him after the FBI interrogation; however, no communication occurred despite parliamentary assurances that he had received full consular support.

Following his return to Canada, Abdelrazik described six years of exile, recounting that CSIS told him "Sudan will be your Guantanamo." He confirmed being interviewed and later interrogated by a CSIS agent in Sudan—an admission CSIS made during court proceedings. During the 2003 interview, the agent warned him he would "never see Canada again." Abdelrazik denied all US accusations linking him to Osama bin Laden, combat activities in Chechnya, training camps in Afghanistan, or involvement with al-Qaeda operatives. In May 2009, The Globe and Mail published reports exposing Canadian authorities’ involvement in his detention.

On October 29, 2009, CSIS director Richard Fadden criticized media outlets and civil liberties organizations for portraying suspected terrorists like Abdelrazik as "romantic revolutionaries" or "quasi-folk heroes," despite judicial rulings stating otherwise. He urged for a more balanced portrayal of such cases in public discourse.

CSIS Interception and Vehicle Inspection

On August 5, 2011, La Presse disclosed that CSIS had intercepted a conversation from the summer of 2000 between Abdelrazik and Adil Charkaoui, in which they allegedly discussed detonating an airliner traveling from Montreal to France. Additionally, CSIS reported discovering residues of RDX during a search of Abdelrazik's vehicle in October 2001.

American Influence on Canada Regarding Abdelrazik’s Transfer to Guantanamo

In September 2011, leaked documents revealed by The Globe and Mail showed that Canadian officials prevented Abdelrazik’s return because he was listed on a US no fly list, a restriction that legally should not have obstructed his repatriation. Consequently, he remained stranded in Sudan for five years. The documents also suggested that the United States exerted pressure on Canada to assist in transferring Abdelrazik to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Official Terrorist Classification and Inclusion on UN Security Council Blacklist

On July 23, 2006, the United States Department of the Treasury officially labeled Abdelrazik as a terrorist due to his purported "high-level connections to and support for al-Qaeda." The U.S. State Department accused him of close ties with Abu Zubaydah, a deputy to Osama bin Laden, and alleged he recruited a Tunisian extremist for paramilitary training in Afghanistan. In April 2011, leaked files indicated Abdelrazik admitted to receiving $10,000 from alleged al-Qaeda financier Hassan Zemiri. None of these accusations have been legally substantiated, and Abdelrazik has never faced formal charges.

Eight days following the U.S. designation, Abdelrazik was placed on the UN Security Council’s terrorist blacklist, becoming the only living Canadian listed. This resulted in asset freezes and international travel prohibitions. Canada sought his removal from this list in 2008; however, an unnamed Security Council member vetoed the request. While Canada continues advocating for his delisting, it has not clarified its initial involvement in his designation. Observers highlight that removal from the UN blacklist is widely regarded as far more challenging than inclusion.

Subsequent Efforts for Repatriation and Court Mandate

On April 28, 2008, amid escalating media scrutiny and concerns for his safety, Abdelrazik sought refuge at the Canadian embassy in Sudan, which the Canadian government described as "temporary." He initiated legal action against Canada to secure his return. By April 18, 2008, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Abdelrazik qualified for emergency travel documents. On August 26, 2008, he purchased a flight ticket with Etihad Airways, which agreed to transport him despite his presence on the U.S. no-fly list restricting airlines’ access to U.S. airspace. His departure was scheduled for September 15, 2008; however, he was unable to leave Sudan because Ottawa withheld travel documentation. Previously, after his release in 2004, he possessed a special one-time emergency passport valid for two weeks but no airline would carry him.

On March 12, 2009, a group of 115 supporters—including former solicitor-general Warren Allmand, political theorist Joseph Carens, and peace advocate James Loney—presented a flight ticket for his journey back to Canada. The government maintained that anyone purchasing such tickets risked prosecution under anti-terrorism legislation enforcing UN sanctions against blacklisted individuals. On April 3, 2009, Abdelrazik’s legal counsel received correspondence indicating that the Minister of Foreign Affairs had denied an emergency passport citing national security reasons. The government argued that Charter rights guarantee entry only at the border; since Abdelrazik was outside Canada’s territory, those rights did not apply.

The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee invited Abdelrazik to testify before it. MP Paul Dewar called on the government to cease obstructing his return. On May 7–8, 2009, the Federal Court heard arguments demanding that authorities facilitate Abdelrazik’s repatriation based on Section 6 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees citizens’ right to enter Canada.

On June 4, Federal Judge Russel Zinn determined that the government had infringed upon Abdelrazik’s constitutional rights and ordered his return by July 7. Justice Zinn characterized him as "as much a victim of international terrorism as innocent persons killed by terrorists." The Globe and Mail highlighted Zinn’s comprehensive 107-page ruling that condemned Canadian anti-terrorism officials’ role in his detention in Sudan, criticized the UN terrorist blacklist as unjustified, and reproached Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon for disregarding due process. After opposition calls to stop contesting the case intensified, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced that government lawyers would review the ruling before determining subsequent actions.

Return and legal actions against the federal government

On June 18, 2009, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson declared that the Canadian government would adhere to the court's decision. Abdelrazik subsequently returned to Canada nine days later.

In the autumn of 2009, Abdelrazik initiated a lawsuit against the Canadian government seeking C$24 million in damages, along with an additional C$3 million from Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon for "misfeasance in public office." Nicholson revealed that the Harper administration incurred legal expenses exceeding C$800,000 attempting to obstruct Abdelrazik’s repatriation. The Department of Justice dismissed the lawsuit as lacking merit, contending that Canadian legislation does not extend to actions abroad and labeling the claim as frivolous and vexatious. They further asserted there is no legal obligation to prevent torture by third parties. While Abdelrazik’s counsel anticipated either a settlement or an official apology, they faced strong governmental opposition. This case was expected to establish significant legal precedents concerning the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In August 2010, the Federal Court permitted Abdelrazik to proceed with his lawsuit against the federal government. His attorney highlighted that the government had attempted to dismiss the case by arguing that individuals cannot sue for torture and that Canada holds no duty to protect citizens detained overseas. A spokesperson for the government indicated that they were reviewing the court's ruling amid ongoing legal proceedings.

Removal from UNSC blacklist

On November 30, 2011, Abdelrazik was officially taken off the United Nations Security Council blacklist. His lawyer, Paul Champ, announced intentions to inform the federal authorities and expected all sanctions against Abdelrazik to be lifted promptly.

External links

• Centre for Constitutional Studies: Abdelrazik Still Stranded in Sudan as Government Fails to Issue Passport
• Updates, Press Releases and Action Alerts from supporters of Abdelrazik
• Take Action- Canada: clear the way for Abousfian Abdelrazik’s return