Minister would need ‘years’ to hear Rwandan man’s plea
Deportation will not be deferred while Goodale considers case
Ottawa is set to deport a man to Rwanda where he faces genocide-related charges — despite experts determining he was not involved in the 1994 genocide — because it would take too long for the public safety minister to assess the man’s plea for relief.
Last week, Canada Border Services Canada rejected a request by Jean Berchmans Habinshuti to defer his deportation pending a decision by Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale to intervene in the 60-year-old man’s highly controversial removal.
“The Ministerial Relief process generally takes several years,” staff from the ministerial relief unit at Goodale’s office wrote in a letter to Habinshuti’s lawyer, Raoul Boulakia.
“Regarding your request to defer Mr. Habinshuti’s removal until Minister Goodale is able to review and decide on his request for relief, please be advised that the existence of an MR application does not stay removal proceedings.”
Habinshuti served as private secretary to the late Rwandan prime minister, Agathe Uwillingiyimana. He joined his wife and family in St. Catharines, Ont., in 2011and later sought asylum. Although he never faced war crime charges, Ottawa said he’s inadmissible because of his ties to the regime.
At least four experts on Rwandan politics and history have provided affidavits to vouch for Habinshuti’s innocence. They include: academic Andre Guichaoua, who has testified at international tribunals; former Rwandan prime minister Faustin Twagiramungu; human rights activist Rene Mugenzi; and Canadian journalist Judi Rever.
“Canada is getting ready to deport an innocent person, after a lot of wordplay about how Canada would never wrongly deport an innocent person, but will definitely deport this innocent person,” Boulakia told the Star.
“Minister Goodale doesn’t have to wait for his bureaucrats to give him advice if he wants to grant the relief. It’s his decision, in his discretion. Obviously it won’t be much use if they wait until Mr. Habinshuti is in jail in Rwanda or dead to ask Minister Goodale to make his decision.”
Habinshuti, a one-time opposition member of the Rwandan parliament, faces genocide-related charges laid by the Paul Kagame regime.