OTTAWA — The older sister of former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr is suing the federal government for refusing to allow her to fly to Canada.
Zaynab Khadr filed an appeal in Federal Court on Friday seeking an order forcing the minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to remove her name from Canada’s no-fly list, saying it has no grounds to consider her a threat. She says she is a Canadian citizen and was denied boarding in Europe in February when trying to travel back to Canada with her five children. In September, Public Safety denied her request to remove her from the list created under the Secure Air Travel Act, the appeal says.
She claims the department provided “no reasonable basis to suspect she would engage or attempt to engage in an act that would threaten public transportation or to suspect she was travelling by air to commit certain terrorism offences…”
Khadr, 41, was last reported living in the country of Georgia with her husband and children. In the past, she has spoken supportively of Osama Bin Laden. Although she has been investigated, she has never been charged with any offences.
“The allegations against the Appellant are based on her history of speech and association,” the appeal says. “The Appellant has never engaged in or threatened acts of violence, and her words have never had the effect of compelling or encouraging acts of violence.”The appeal alleges she was added to the no-fly list based on her history of speech and political views, a breach of her Charter rights.
Source: .ctvnews.ca
