Ottawa deports Iran-native despite torture fears - CTV
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A former Saint John resident who was convicted nine years ago in the vicious beating of his then-girlfriend has been deported to Iran despite his claims he would be tortured or killed if sent back.
Mostafa Dadar, 55, was deported Sunday, two days after a Federal Court judge refused to stop his removal.
He was expected to arrive in Frankfurt before boarding a plane to Iran on Monday.
Dadar was convicted in 1997 of beating 41-year-old Lynn Landry.
Landry had been living with Dadar for about two weeks before the May, 1996, beating.
She was found naked and unconscious, suffered brain damage and spent weeks clinging to life in hospital.
He has maintained his innocence, but unsuccessfully appealed his conviction to the New Brunswick Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear his appeal.
Dadar's lawyer Richard Albert Richard Albert criticized Ottawa for not stepping in to prevent his deportation.
"This is the first time that Canada has chosen to defy a decision of the UN Committee Against Torture," Albert told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal.
In November 2005, the UN committee concluded there were substantial grounds to believe Dadar "may risk being subjected to torture if returned to Iran."
Last week, Albert attempted to bring information to the deportation review to argue evidence used in the aggravated assault case was tampered with.
Ken Fitch, a private investigator and former RCMP officer, said in a sworn affidavit that photographs and videotapes taken by local police showed additional pieces of evidence at the crime scene the second time officers visited.
But Justice Carolyn Layden-Stevenson said Friday she could not accept the affidavit because she was only authorized to review the deportation order.
Dadar was a pilot with the Imperial Iranian Air Force during the reign of the Shah of Iran and actively participated in a failed coup d'etat against the successor regime in 1982.
He said he was imprisoned and tortured before escaping to Pakistan in 1987. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees granted him status as a convention refugee and referred him to Canada.
Canada granted Dadar and his now estranged wife were granted status as permanent residents in 1988. They settled in Saint John, where they had two children.
Original Article
posted by Ruzbeh Hosseini at 6:37 AM
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2 Comments:
as far as I can tell I didn't state any sort of position. I merely posted the article on CTV. Those people who break the law should be punished and no favourable treatment should be given. However, in this case there seemed to be some evidence of his innocence that was not considered or could not have been considered by the reviewing judge. If there really is a fear of torture by this man being sent back to Iran, then the federal government should have stepped in to do the right thing. Nobody should be sent back to a place where they fear for their life. This goes for minor criminals as well as those charged with serious felonies.
Thank you for your comment
The last minute so called evidence casting doubt of his guilt is specious, questionable, to say the least, designed to create doubt and delay the deportation. If you believed every lawyer, it would seem all criminals are innocent. However I was not totally heartless, I did suggest he just be sent back from whence he came, the UN Refugee Commission. There was no need to send him directly to Iran.
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