Baird eyes Ethiopia trip to urge detainee's release
Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Minister John Baird is hoping to fly to Addis Ababa this month to press for the release of Bashir Makhtal, a Canadian citizen who has been in an Ethiopian jail for more than two years.
Photograph by: Chris Wattie, Reuters
OTTAWA — Senior cabinet minister John Baird is hoping to fly to Addis Ababa this month to press for the release of Bashir Makhtal, a Canadian citizen who has been in an Ethiopian jail for more than two years.
Earlier this week Baird made the formal request to the Ethiopian government for a meeting with a senior official. In an interview Thursday, he would not confirm which official, but it is believed to be Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
Baird would like to travel during the parliamentary recess, which is April 14 to 19.
"I made a commitment that if I thought it would be helpful to Bashir's case, I would travel to Ethiopia, and Canadian officials are in discussions with Ethiopian officials about it as we speak," said Baird, the minister of transport, infrastructure and communities.
The Ethiopian government alleges that Makhtal, an ethnic Somali, is a member of the Ogaden National Liberation Front, a group it considers a terrorist organization (Canada does not). Makhtal was arrested in Kenya in late 2006 and a month later was illegally flown to Ethiopia, where he was kept incommunicado and in solitary confinement for almost two years.
He was not allowed to see an embassy official for 16 months, and met his lawyer for the first time at the beginning of 2009.
A former Toronto computer programmer, Makhtal was operating a trading business in the Horn of Africa at the time of his arrest. He has denied all allegations against him.
"I've been pushing for due process and fairness and that's a message I'll take with me to Addis," said Baird Friday. "I look forward to making Bashir's case directly to senior officials."
"Knowing that senior government officials are willing to make interventions on Bashir's behalf sends a very strong signal to Ethiopia that the Canadian government is committed to this case," said Lorne Waldman, Makhtal's Canadian lawyer. "Now it's extremely important that they follow through. Bashir's life hangs in the balance."
To keep up the pressure on both the Ethiopian and Canadian governments, Waldman filed a lawsuit this week on Makhtal's behalf, asking the federal court to order the suspension of Canada's official government aid to Ethiopia on the grounds that it contravenes the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act. The act, which came into force last year, requires international aid programs to meet several criteria, including that it be consistent with international human rights standards.
Canada gave approximately $83 million to Ethiopia in 2006-2007, including $500,000 towards improving governance and the justice system.
BY LOUISA TAYLOR, OTTAWA CITIZENAPRIL 2, 2009
Canwest News Service
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