Trouble in Kenya, take two

Canadian Press picks up a CBC report tonight of another Canadian stranded in Kenya, this one unable to return for three years. The story of his situation has actually been around for at least several months—the Citizen’s Kate Heartfield having written about Abdihakim Mohamed in February. Heartfield followed up with a piece this June, concluding as follows.

Like Abdelrazik, Mohamed is a citizen and has a right to enter Canada. It’s in the Charter. But Abdihakim Mohamed has not yet become a cause célèbre. Maybe he never will. Maybe the stories we do hear -- about the Abdelraziks, the Arars -- are just a few among many.

It shouldn’t have to take a media firestorm and an expensive court case or inquiry for the government to respect the basic rights of citizens abroad. This government has shirked its duty in foreign affairs, forcing the courts to rule on cases that should have been handled, competently and honestly, by the Foreign Affairs Department.