Ross & McBride LLP's Chris MacLeod Fights for Justice for Canadian in China

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Chris MacLeod, a lawyer with Ross & McBride LLP's International Legal Services Group (ILSG) represents human rights activist Huseyincan Celil and his family.

Mr. Celil is a Canadian citizen who has been sentenced to life in a Chinese prison for advocating for the rights of the Uyghur minority (China's Muslim minority in Northwestern China). Specifically, life in prison as a "splittist".

Mr. MacLeod is working with the Canadian government, Amnesty International and other NGO's to secure his safe release and return to Canada.

Huseyincan Celil, father of 6, resident of Burlington, Ontario and a human rights advocate, fled from a China and was granted convention refugee status by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees in 2000-2001. Mr. Celil and his family subsequently settled in Canada in 2001 and became Canadian citizens in 2005. Mr. Celil engaged in peaceful public awareness activities in the Hamilton and Burlington area and figured in various newspaper articles focused on the plight of the Uyghur minority in China.

Mr. Celil traveled to Uzbekistan in early 2006 with his wife and their four children in order to have a reunion with his wife's family. Mr. Celil and his family traveled on Canadian passports with a visitor's visa granted by the Uzbek government. During that visit Mr. Celil was detained by the Uzbek authorities, allegedly, pursuant to an extradition agreement between China and Uzbekistan.

In a recent press conference in Ottawa on April 26th 2007, Ross & McBride LLP's International Legal Services Group (ILSG) lawyer Chris MacLeod, stated that "Mr. Celil is only a citizen of Canada – [he’s] not a dual citizen, he has renounced his citizenship in China and as a result, he should be protected by Canada and Canadian officials should be allowed access to him." Despite his Canadian citizenship and international treaty obligations requiring China to give access to Canadian officials to meet with Mr. Celil, Canadian officials have been denied access to him or the "legal proceedings" in China.

The Chinese have called the case an "internal affair" and have requested that Canada not interfere with the case as they do not recognize Celil's Canadian citizenship. Since his arrest, allegations have surfaced that Mr. Celil was tortured prior to his trial which has outraged his family, his legal counsel and Canada's Amnesty International. During his "trial" in February 2007, when a confession statement that was signed by Mr. Celil was held up in court, Mr. Celil said it was signed under duress while he was threatened by the Chinese.

In the face of these allegations, he was sentenced in a Chinese court to life in prison, all without having a Canadian government representative or legal counsel of his choosing in the Courtroom.

MacLeod continues to press for unhindered consular access to Mr. Celil, and that the Canadian Government appoint a non-partisan special envoy, who would focus on how we can use the many levels of the Canadian Chinese relationship and work with China to ensure the release and return of Mr. Celil.

During the press conference, Mr. MacLeod, Mr. Celil's wife Kamila Telendibaeva and the Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada, Alex Neve, discussed this case in depth with reporters on the eve of The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs departing to China. The Honourable Peter McKay, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs was in China on April 29th to discuss various issues relating to the Canada/Chinese relationship and raised the case of Mr. Celil, expressing the concerns of the Government of Canada with China’s breach of international obligations owed to Canada and to Mr. Celil.

MacLeod and Amnesty International reminded those in attendance that China is hosting the 2008 Olympics, an event that brings the world together in the spirit of tolerance, community and understanding and China should act accordingly.