Canadian in Kenya Finally Coming Home

Posted on 15. Aug, 2009 by Devo in Overdone

This is a story bred by terrorist fears and taken to a length far beyond what would be called intelligent and responsible. The story began back in May when Canadian citizen Suaad Haji Mohamud, a 31 year old woman took a trip back to her home country of Kenya to visit her mother. Nothing wrong so far, but her ordeal was just beginning and little did she know that a two week long visit would end up in a 3 month stay.

Here’s the timeline as taken from CBC News:

May 21 she tries to leave Kenya after her two week visit but Kenya immigration officials prevented her from boarding her flight saying that she did not look like the photo in her Canadian Passport. Apparently it was her lips that looked different.

May 22 The High Commission of Canada in Nairobi takes and voids her passport, despite her producing her Canadian driver’s licence (photo identification), fingerprints and other documents.

May 28 After spending eight days in a Kenyan jail,she is released on bail. Liliane Khadour, the Canadian High Commission’s first secretary, tells Kenyan government officials a thorough investigation has determined Mohamud is an impostor and recommends that she be prosecuted. She is then charged with identity fraud and would spend parts of the next 2½ months living in Nairobi slum hotels.

July 22 The Canadian government, after negotiating a settlement to a Federal Court motion filed by Mohamud’s lawyer, Raoul Boulakia, agrees to ask Kenyan authorities to delay her trial until a DNA test can be conducted to confirm her identity.

July 24: After the Kenyan government agrees to delay Mohamud’s trial, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon tells reporters in Ottawa

“there is no tangible proof” Mohamud is Canadian.
“All Canadians who hold passports generally have a picture that is identical in their passport to what they claim to be,”

(absolute nonsense, just change your hair or grow a beard and you are now someone else)

July 29: Mohamud’s former husband, Hussein Asbscir, and her son, Mohamed Hussein, 12, submit to DNA testing in order to help resolve her case.

Aug. 10: The results of a DNA test conducted on Mohamud are released and confirm her identity. The test results show there’s a 99.99 per cent chance that she is the mother of her son in Toronto, Boulakia says.

Aug. 11: A day after the DNA test results emerge, the Canadian Border Services Agency says it is working on issuing Mohamud emergency travel documents so she can return to Canada. Spokeswoman Tracie LeBlanc declines to specify whether the documents include an emergency passport or when Mohamud would return.

Aug. 12: Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says the federal government has “no excuse” for failing to come to Mohamud’s aid, saying there’s something “fundamentally wrong” when Ottawa can’t be counted on to stand up for Canadians.

The Foreign Affairs spokesperson says the Canadian government has asked Kenyan authorities to drop the charges against Mohamud. Kenyan officials say a motion to drop the charges will be filed on Aug. 14.

Aug. 13: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who had yet to publicly comment on the case, tells reporters that the government’s priorities are now “to see her get on a flight back to Canada.”

It actually took this long to verify her identity! This woman produced all sorts of legal documents to prove her identity and was still ignored. I can understand that if an official cannot verify your identity through your passport photo that you may at the very least delayed. When you are genuinely shocked and eagerly produce many other forms of identification confirming your identity including your family back in Canada, that alone should raise a flag that maybe you are who you profess to be. From that point on the investigation should move in the direction of proving that you are who you are rather than proving you are not who you are.

It gets better as on May 28 Liliane Khadour, the Canadian High Commission’s first secretary, tells Kenyan government officials a thorough investigation has determined Mohamud is an impostor and recommends that she be prosecuted.

This story should be a wake up call for all Canadians traveling abroad. If you get into any trouble will the Canadian government do anything to help you? It appears not. Not only will they not help you, but in this case literally hand you over to foreign authorities to be placed under arrest. I have seen this woman’s picture on the news and with it her passport photo and although she is wearing what appears to be a hijab in her passport photo, I did not have any difficulty recognizing her in that photo.