Minister Mackay Responds to Chinese Superior Court Rejection of Huseyincan Celil Appeal

News Release

July 10, 2007
No. 91
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency, today responded to the decision to reject the appeal of
the Chinese court sentence against Huseyincan Celil, the Canadian citizen who has
been detained in China since his extradition from Uzbekistan in June 2006.
“We were deeply disappointed to learn that Mr. Celil’s appeal has been rejected by a
Chinese superior court,” said Minister MacKay. “In our view, due process for this
Canadian citizen was not followed and his rights were not respected.”
The Government of Canada has strongly urged and will continue to urge Chinese
authorities to immediately grant Canadian officials access to Mr. Celil and to respect
their commitment to provide Canadian officials with information about his situation. The
Canadian government also urges Chinese authorities to grant access to members of
Mr. Celil’s family.
The Government of Canada is conducting a review of the 1999 Canada-China consular
agreement to determine whether it is in fact an effective means of safeguarding
Chinese-Canadian dual citizens travelling on Canadian passports.
This case remains of great importance to the Government of Canada. The Canadian
Embassy in Beijing will continue to monitor the situation closely.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
http://www.international.gc.ca

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Date modified:: 2007-07-10

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Minister Mackay Responds to Chinese Superior Court Rejection of Huseyincan Celil Appeal

News Release

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