Canada's former peace envoy to Sudan says she believes Canadian was 'tortured badly' in custody

Former Senator Testifies on Abdelrazik’s Treatment in Sudan

A former senator and peace envoy to Sudan expressed her belief that Abousfian Abdelrazik, a Canadian who was detained for years in Sudan, was "tortured badly" while in custody.

Mobina Jaffer, who retired from the Senate in August after serving for 23 years, provided testimony Monday morning during a court hearing regarding Abdelrazik's lawsuit claiming that the federal government was complicit in his detention and torture abroad.

Abdelrazik was arrested in Sudan during a 2003 visit to see family and was interrogated by Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) officials about alleged extremist connections. The Montreal-based father has consistently denied any links to terrorism.

He spent the next six years either imprisoned or in forced exile at the Canadian embassy in Khartoum, as his attempts to return to Canada were rejected by the federal government.

In an Ottawa courtroom on Monday, Jaffer recounted her experience as Canada’s special envoy for peace in Sudan from 2002 to 2006, a role that often required her to visit the war-torn country several times a year.

Jaffer noted that she would meet with Gen. Salah Gosh, the former director of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service, to report her movements. She stated that Gosh first mentioned Abdelrazik's detention to her in 2004.

"Mr. Gosh was frustrated. He felt that Canadian officials had asked him to detain Abdelrazik. He had detained him. Then there were no charges. And so he said to me, 'Why are you not taking him back?'" Jaffer testified.

At that time, Abdelrazik was on a no-fly list, preventing commercial airlines from accepting him as a passenger.

"[Gosh] said to me that, 'Your country thought he was a terrorist and they wanted me to find out if he was a terrorist.' And then he said, 'You know, finding out [who is] a terrorist is not pleasant in Sudan and we gave him the treatment,'" Jaffer said.

She indicated that Gosh informed her that Sudan used various methods to determine Abdelrazik's status as a terrorist. According to Jaffer, Gosh reported he was "completely satisfied" that Abdelrazik was not a terrorist and that it was "time you took him back."

During the proceedings, Abdelrazik's lawyer, Paul Champ, asked Jaffer if she understood what Gosh meant when he stated they were trying to ascertain whether his client was a terrorist.

"He definitely was tortured badly," Jaffer affirmed.

"When they're trying to get you to admit that you are a terrorist or something like that, it's also extra worse treatment."

"I Didn't Do Enough," Jaffer Admits

During cross-examination, Crown lawyer David Aaron questioned Jaffer about Gosh's alleged involvement in facilitating atrocities during the Darfur conflict and inquired why she would trust him.

"I don't think he would have lied to me," she replied. "I don't think he would play a game with me. We had both become straight-shooters in our dealings."

CSIS has consistently denied requesting Sudanese authorities to detain Abdelrazik in 2003. Officials from the intelligence agency are expected to testify during the eight-week trial.

Jaffer expressed regret to Abdelrazik for not doing more to assist him. She testified that she felt torn between her responsibilities as an envoy and her role as a senator, which led her to distance herself from his situation.

"His eyes have ever since haunted me because they were extremely scared. He was literally pleading with me to get him out of there and I didn't do enough," she shared.

"Now when I look back, I'm very sorry that I didn't do more for this man because he suffered a lot. And what's the point of being a senator in Canada if you can't help your own Canadians?"