Mike Cassese, Reuters Suaad Hagi Mohamud, who was detained for three months in
Kenya after Canadian authorities decided she did not resemble her passport photo,
hugs her son Mohamed Hussein upon arriving at Pearson airport ...
Saturday, August 22, 2009
A Canadian woman who was stranded in Kenya for three months when her passport was rejected by Canadian consular officials who believed her to be an impostor is suing the federal government for $2.5-million.
Suaad Hagi Mohamud, 31, told a Toronto news conference yesterday that Ottawa should have backed her up. Instead, she said, the government let her down.
"I was alone when my government let me down," said Ms. Mohamud, adding her court case is not about money. She said she is only speaking out so other Canadians do not have to go through similar experiences.
"I just want to say that Canadians have to stand up," she said. "They are Canadian citizens no matter where they are, no matter what kind of situation they are in."
Natalie Sarafian, a spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, said she could not comment on Ms. Mohamud's case, but added Mr. Cannon has ordered a full review of how Ms. Mohamud was handled by consular officials.
"We're really going to try to get to the bottom of what really occurred in the case," she said. "It's going to be a detailed account that will look at the role of Canadian officials in the case."
She said Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan has also asked the Canada Border Services Agency to prepare an independent review. "These are very complex cases," she added, "there are a lot of things we can't divulge because of privacy issues."
Ms. Mohamud, a single mother, said she works hard to make a living for herself and her 12-year-old son, and she always does the right thing.
She thanked her many supporters in Canada for standing by her. She also thanked the media for making her story public and her lawyer for believing in her.
"I want to thank all the friends and family who tried to help me," she said.
Ms. Mohamud's ordeal ended earlier this month when DNA tests proved her identity. Before that, consular officials in Kenya told her they did not believe she was the person in her passport photo and handed the document over to Kenyan authorities, who alleged she was in the country illegally.
This despite having produced numerous pieces of identification.
Meanwhile, a case that draws parallels with Ms. Mohamud's experience is drawing to a close.
Abdihakim Mohamed, a 25-year-old Canadian man who has been stranded in Kenya for three years after a dispute over the legitimacy of his passport photo, may finally return to Canada in the coming weeks, the man's lawyer said.
Mr. Mohamed, who has autism, has been stuck in Kenya since a 2006 attempt to renew his passport was halted by Canadian officials who claimed his ears looked different in a new passport photo, said Jean Lash, his Ottawabased lawyer.
Mr. Mohamed's mother, Anab Issa, has attempted to prove her son's identity through a series of affidavits, but the process has been stalled because Mr. Mohamed, who was born in Somalia, does not have a birth certificate or other documents the Canadian government requested he produce to prove his identity.
Ms. Sarafian said Canadian officials continue to work closely with Mr. Mohamed's family to issue the necessary travel documents as soon as the family has confirmed Mr. Mohamed's travel plans.
"Passport Canada is ready to process his application as soon as it is received and, at the point, we can proceed with issuing travel documents," she said.