Father wanted for abducting kids vows they’re ‘safe, happy’
B.C. mother calls lengthy Facebook note posted by husband, spotted in Iran, a ‘cowardly way’ of breaking his silence
Friday marked nine months since Alison Azer has heard the voices of her four young children. The British Columbia mom has spent every day since then trying to track down her kids, who were taken out of the country by their father for a European vacation and never returned home.
Canadian authorities consider the children abducted and Interpol has listed Saren Azer, also known as Salahaddin Mahmudi-Azer, as a wanted man.
Last week he posted photos to a Facebook page of himself and the children, laughing and smiling as they play on a bouncy castle and dance at a cousin’s wedding.
In the lengthy post to the “Azer children” account, a note purporting to be from Saren says the children are “well, safe and happy at last,” detailing their condition in the three years since the couple split.
“Now, away from that nightmare, I am recovering and doing my best to make sure that my children are happy, loved and have all that they need,” it reads.
For Alison Azer, the posts read of deception and desperation.
“He is wanted by Interpol. Interpol is not counting smiles,” Alison Azer said.
“If he wants to break his silence, don’t do it in such a cowardly way,” she said. “Break your silence here, tell your story here and let the system and the processes of democracy decide how you should be dealt with.”
Until now, her only updates came from locals who recently spotted the children near Mahabad, Iran, where her ex-husband’s family lives. Azer believes they moved there after months in the remote mountainous border region of northern Iraq.
In one of those photos, her youngest, 3-year-old Meitan, has dark circles under his eyes, his skin is ashen and his hair looks unhealthy, she said. The Facebook photos of the children in seemingly happy times don’t convince her that is the case.
“I see a haunted look in their eyes. I see a deep sadness. That’s what I see as a mom. That’s not empirical,” she said. “I know who I am as a mom, and I know who my kids are.”
“I am not going to let a man . . . convince me that I’m anything other than the best parent they’ve got.” A spokeswoman for the RCMP in Surrey, B.C., said in an email there has been no update to the case in light of the Facebook post. “The file remains active and ongoing,” said Cpl. Janelle Shoihet. “I can assure the file remains a priority and all efforts are being made to reunite the family.”
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Global Affairs said the government is in regular contact with Alison Azer and is working closely with officials in Canada and abroad, and called the children’s safety a priority. “The Government of Canada remains deeply concerned for the well-being of the children,” it read.
Messages to the Azer children Facebook account were not immediately returned.
On Monday Alison launched a petition campaign called “#MakeTheCall” aimed at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an attempt to open the lines of communication with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
“I am not going to let a man . . . convince me that I’m anything other than the best parent they’ve got.” ALISON AZER MOTHER OF FOUR ABDUCTED KIDS
“He can explain to President Rouhani that, as the prime minister of Canada, it is his duty to reunite my family,” reads the campaign statement.
She says since the launch, 5,000 have people have supported the campaign.
“That matters so much more to me than the desperate attempts of a fugitive to try and make it look they’re having a great time being kidnapped.”