Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
The Current

Gaining the release of Canadians wrongly jailed abroad

A look at how the combination of pressure from Ottawa, media exposure and appeals from supporters helps release wrongly convicted Canadians from foreign prisons.
CBC Radio ·
The Current21:59Gaining the release of Canadians wrongly jailed abroad - Oct 8, 2013
Getting wrongfully imprisoned Canadians free from foreign prisons often requires a lot of pressure from a lot of places. Today, we're exploring what it takes to conjure up public support and political pressure to free wrongfully jailed Canadians.


"The government of Canada welcomes this decision by the government of Egypt and we look forward to seeing these two Canadian citizens return home in the not-too-distant future".Prime Minister Stephen Harper

The Prime Minister sounds optimistic that Tarek Loubani and John Greyson will be back in Canada soon. The two were released from an Egyptian prison Sunday after nearly two months -- but they remain in Cairo. According to Egyptian officials they pair are still under investigation and aren't able yet to leave the country. The office of Lynne Yelich, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, says its aware "of possible bureaucratic complications" and is working to resolve them.


tarek-loubani-500px.jpg

"We've been held here in ridiculous conditions: no phone calls, no exercise, sharing a 3m x 10m cell
with 36 other political prisoners, sleeping like sardines on concrete with the cockroaches; sharing a
single tap of earthy Nile water". - Excerpt from John Greyson and Tarek Loubani's statement


The men were arrested at a violent protest in mid-August, and their freedom is welcome news to the thousands of people who demanded their release. Today we explore the successes of the Free Tarek and John campaign.

Cecilia Greyson is John Greyson's sister. She is one of the main organizers of the committee. She feels the huge amount of public support for the campaign to release Tarek and John was key to making their case a priority for the government. Cecilia Greyson was in our studio in Toronto.

torah-prison-220.jpg

Shane Bauer, one of the U.S. hikers held in
Iran on charges of espionage, in Muscat after
his release from Tehran's Evin prison, Sept.
21, 2011. (Reuters/Jumana El Heloueh)

Supporters of Tarek Loubani and John Greyson and others with experience in similar cases ... say it takes a team effort to help Canadians wrongfully imprisoned in foreign jails.

There are currently more than 1,600 Canadians imprisoned abroad -- many are charged with breaking local laws and are not necessarily political prisoners.

What does it take to release those who are wrongfully imprisoned?

  • Dean Peroff is a Toronto-based business lawyer who handles complex cases in Canada and abroad, including consular cases.

  • Dan McTeague is a former Liberal MP and Privy Councillor who helped Canadians abroad while serving as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

  • Farah Mawani was a principal co-ordinator of the effort to free three American hikers arrested in Iran in 2009.


We contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs. It declined our request for an interview.


Share your thoughts on this story.

Tweet us @thecurrentcbc. Follow us on Facebook. Or e-mail us through our website. Call us toll-free at 1 877 287 7366. And as always if you missed anything on The Current, grab a podcast.

This segment was produced by The Current's Sujata Berry, Idella Sturino and Marc Apollonio.


From The Current Archives

Arbitrary detentions in Egypt: A regression in human rights






More from this episode