Canadian back home after U.A.E. ordeal
Businessman Alaradi spent nearly 2 years in prison after being arrested on vacation
A Canadian acquitted of charges in the United Arab Emirates after spending nearly two years in prison has been reunited with his family in Canada.
“Ladies and gentleman, I’m overwhelmed to be home after the last two years,” Salim Alaradi told a news conference at Pearson International Airport on Monday evening.
“I am home today because thousands of people in Canada and from the world spoke out. I’m grateful to each of you,” the CBC reported. “It’s a new life for me.” The father of five was on vacation with his family in Dubai when he was suddenly arrested in August 2014. At the time, he was among 10 men of Libyan origin who were detained — some of them were later released.
After being held for months without being charged, Alaradi was put on trial early this year on terrorism charges, which he pleaded not guilty to. Those charges were abruptly dropped in March and he was then charged with collecting donations without permission of the appropriate ministry and sending them to a foreign country.
The 48-year-old was found not guilty in the case in late May, but wasn’t immediately released, prompting his family to appeal to Ottawa to help bring him home.
The Canadian businessman arrived in Istanbul on June 2, where he was reunited with his wife and children. After two weeks of medical evaluation, Turkish doctors authorized his transfer to Canada.
The case had drawn international attention ever since Alaradi and his co-accused were put on trial.
UN human rights experts demanded the U.A.E. release the men. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention also examined the men’s cases and cited advocates for the detainees, alleging that the men had been deprived of sleep for up to 20 days, beaten on the hands and legs and suffered “electric shocks with an electric chair.”
Alaradi immigrated to Canada in 1998 from the U.A.E. but returned there in 2007 to run a home appliance business.