A Canadian man trapped in Sudan since 2003 is speaking publicly about his ordeal for the first time in the hopes it will pressure Ottawa into speeding up his repatriation.
Abousfian Abdelrazik says that he has a flight home, which was paid for by his supporters, booked for Friday.
However, the father of two can't take the flight back to Canada unless the government issues him a new passport - something Ottawa has so far refused to do.
"For six years I have tried to go back home to my children, but the Canadian government took my old passport and will not give me another one," Abdelrazik said Thursday in a statement released by his lawyers.
The Montreal native's ordeal began in 2003 when he was arrested by Sudanese officials while on a trip to visit his sick mother.
Abdelrazik was initially arrested because of alleged ties to Osama bin Laden, and a recently published report suggested that CSIS agents were behind the arrest.
But no evidence supporting those allegations has ever materialized and Abdelrazik was released without charge. The RCMP has confirmed those findings.
"I am a Muslim and I pray to my God but this does not make me a terrorist or a criminal," he said.
Deepak Obhari, the prime minster's parliamentary secretary, came to Sudan for a visit last year and "personally inspected" torture wounds sustained during his Sudanese detainment, said Abdelrazik.
"I showed Mr. Obhrai the scars on my body and back from being beaten," he said. "He saw I was tortured but he did not help me.
Ottawa had previously said it would provide travel documents provided Abdelrazik could secure a plane ticket home.
However, last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon stated that Abdelrazik would need to get his name off a UN list of terrorists first.
For the past 11 months, Abdelrazik has been living in the lobby of the Canadian embassy in Khartoum. Embassy staff give him food and Abdelrazik sleeps on a cot in the building's gym.
Abdelrazik's lawyers say their client is under stress and should be allowed to return home. Abdelrazik is also racking up a hefty bill for room and board, according to lawyers.
Up until now, Abdelrazik's lawyers have advised their client against speaking with the media.
"We've been very concerned about him speaking publicly because of how it can be used against him," said lawyer Paul Champ.
"His access to a telephone or his access to other amenities like television or a shower can be withdrawn at any given moment so he is concerned about upsetting (Canadian authorities) but he's also concerned about upsetting Sudanese authorities."
However, the lawyers believe speaking out may be their client's final option.
NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar said that keeping Abdelrazik from returning home is simply prolonging the inevitable.
"Every day that Mr. Abdelrazik remains in the embassy in Khartoum because of the federal government not providing travel documents for him is one more day that could be used for costs against the government in a potential lawsuit," he said.
"What they are doing is... denying a Canadian citizen their constitutional right."
With files from The Canadian Press
