http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=846e060c-411e-4e82-9106-011773f297e7
Surrey man held prisoner in Syria After living in 'forced exile' for years, he returned to Syria two weeks ago Joel Baglole Vancouver Sun, with a file from Canadian Press. May 6, 2005 Canada demanded Thursday that federal officials be granted access to a Surrey man who was arrested in Syria two weeks ago and is still in prison there. Maher Ahmad Zaydan, who has lived at 11052 129th St. in Surrey for the past four years, holds dual Canadian-Syrian citizenship. He was detained by Syrian authorities shortly after arriving at Damascus International Airport April 21 with his wife and two young children, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in Ottawa. A news release from the Syrian Human Rights Committee states that Zaydan returned to the Middle East country from several years of "forced exile," after his father asked Syrian officials if it would be safe for him to return home. The release from the human rights group demands Zaydan's release and states that he could be "exposed to torture" at the hands of Syrian authorities. It is not clear why Zaydan, who was a sheet metal worker in Surrey, was arrested. It is also not clear why he had been living in exile in British Columbia. Harry Dhillon, who lived next door to Zaydan in Surrey, said in an interview Thursday that Zaydan is a "nice guy" who'd been planning to return to his native Syria since last summer, when he listed his house for sale. "[Maher] felt life was hard here and easier there," Dhillon said. "He said in Canada you work all the time to keep making the mortgage payments. In Syria, he said, there are family homes and you don't have to pay off mortgages." Dhillon added that Zaydan has a daughter who entered kindergarten last September and a son who is still a toddler. Zaydan's wife was a homemaker who looked after the children, he said. "[Maher] said he wanted his kids to see Syria," said Dhillon. "He didn't seem worried about going back. He said, 'I'm a citizen here and can come back to Canada any time.'" Canadian government officials said they believe Zaydan returned to his native Syria with the understanding that he would receive political amnesty from the Syrian government. Canadian officials said Zaydan's wife and children have not been arrested, but are still in Syria. Several people have tried to take advantage of what has been described as an informal amnesty for exiled Syrian citizens, the Arab Organization for Human Rights in Syria said earlier this week. However, no official amnesty is currently being offered by Syria's government, the human rights group said. Dan McTeague, the Liberal Member of Parliament responsible for Canadians abroad, said Thursday a diplomatic note has been sent to the Syrian government demanding that Canadian officials be allowed to visit Zaydan. "We are pressing Syrian officials [to] provide us details as to where he's being detained, why he's being detained and when we might be provided with a consular visit," McTeague said. So far there has been no response from Syria, but McTeague said he expected to get an answer within the next few days. "[Diplomatic notes] have been successful in the past ... We're hopeful that there is going to be a response," he said. Zaydan is the second Canadian to be jailed in Syria in recent years. A public inquiry is currently being held into the case of Maher Arar, an Ottawa computer engineer who was deported to Syria by the U.S. in 2002 because he was suspected of having ties to the terrorist group al-Qaida. Arar, who denies any links to terrorists, claims he was tortured and kept in jail for 10 months in Syria. Ottawa launched an inquiry into his ordeal to determine what role Canadian officials might have played in his deportation. The Arar case has strained relations between Canada and Syria. Last summer, Syria refused the inquiry's request for legal co-operation to help uncover details surrounding Arar's deportation. Dhillon, who is originally from India, said he was surprised when Zaydan told him he wanted to return to Syria, and that he even thought of mentioning the Arar incident to Zaydan. "I wanted to mention that Arar case, but [Maher] seemed to feel comfortable going back because he's a citizen of Canada," Dhillon said, adding, "I know it's hard here if you're an immigrant, but at least here you have freedoms." ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources often lacking in public schools. Fund a student project in NYC/NC today! http://us.click.yahoo.com/EHLuJD/.WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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