Canada

‘What a hypocrisy’: Afghan journalist wants Canada to reunite him with his family – National

Habib Zahori is used to telling different folks’s tales. He’s an Afghan journalist who lives in Ottawa and labored for The Washington Put up and New York Occasions in Afghanistan.

Zahori moved to the US for college in 2014 and crossed the border into Canada on a bicycle in 2016 to make a refugee declare after his father was kidnapped by the Taliban.

Now he’s making an attempt to reunite together with his youthful brother and sisters who frantically escaped Kabul Worldwide Airport final August when the Taliban seized management of the nation. They’re dwelling within the Netherlands.

“I’m a person who lives two lives,” Zahori mentioned. “I’m right here bodily, and mentally I’m with my household. I take into consideration them on a regular basis.”

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Canada, like many Western nations, has dedicated to serving to folks fleeing Afghanistan as a result of they worry the Taliban. This contains individuals who labored with the Canadian army following the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to completely resettle 40,000 Afghans in Canada. As of mid-April, about 10,000 folks have arrived in Canada.


Three siblings of Habib Zahor in Amsterdam. Hosai Zahori (left) Dewa Zahori (centre), and Hameed Zahori (proper).


Habib Zahori

The gradual tempo of help has disturbed many Afghans. On Monday, a bunch of interpreters who labored with the Canadian army accused the federal government of creating “faux guarantees.”

They informed a particular parliamentary committee on Afghanistan that their relations, a lot of whom are caught abroad due to onerous paperwork, needs to be handled with the identical stage of urgency as Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion.

“I admire what’s being executed for Ukrainians, (however) we wish to be handled the identical,” mentioned Safiullah Mohammad Zahed.

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Zahed, who labored as an interpreter for Canada’s armed forces, informed the committee 12 of his relations are presently hiding in a single room in Afghanistan ready for his or her flip to return to Canada. Different interpreters mentioned their households are burning paperwork that show any connection to Canada to keep away from detection by the Taliban.

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One of many packages the federal government created to convey weak Afghans to Canada is supposed particularly for journalists and anybody who helped Canadian journalists.

To qualify for this particular humanitarian program, an individual should have already left Afghanistan, should be dwelling in a scenario that the federal government considers untenable, and should be sponsored by a humanitarian group, such because the UN Refugee Company.


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‘They’re actually on the mercy of governments’: Afghan refugees shedding hope for Canadian assist


‘They’re actually on the mercy of governments’: Afghan refugees shedding hope for Canadian assist

All of Zahori’s siblings both labored as journalists in Afghanistan or had been “fixers” or translators for Western media shops. However as a result of they escaped Kabul on a Dutch army flight and at the moment are dwelling in Amsterdam, they’re not eligible for the particular humanitarian program.

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That’s as a result of they’ve what the federal government calls a “sturdy resolution” within the Netherlands, that means Canada considers the Netherlands a protected nation that may provide them safety from the Taliban.

Zahori mentioned this coverage is unfair and unjust as a result of it doesn’t acknowledge the household ties his siblings should Canada.

He needs the federal government to do extra to reunite him together with his household, particularly since he’s a everlasting resident of Canada, married to a Canadian and has a Canadian son.

“There’s this world of very privileged individuals who can journey world wide with none drawback, after which there are the remainder of us,” Zahori mentioned.

Afghans refugees handled in a different way

Zahori’s battle to reunite together with his household is occurring when international consideration is focussed on the Ukrainian refugee disaster.

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Canada has pledged to present momentary residence to an infinite variety of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. Ukrainians can stay, work and research in Canada for as much as three years. This program applies to all Ukrainians, whatever the nation they’re presently dwelling in.

Learn extra:

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Canada has additionally eradicated many visa necessities for Ukrainians, together with biometric safety screening for some candidates.

There are additionally plans to create a fast-track household reunification program that can provide everlasting residence to Ukrainians with family already dwelling in Canada.

“The Canadian authorities is opening all of the doorways for Ukrainians (and) they completely ought to have our full help,” Zahori mentioned. “That mentioned, I can’t assist however assume – what a hypocrisy.”

Zahori mentioned he’s spoken with different Afghans who’re making an attempt to convey their family to Canada however have hit related bureaucratic roadblocks.

“This is sort of a very, very clear instance of prejudice,” Zahori mentioned.


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Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has defined these completely different approaches by saying Ukranians solely wish to keep in Canada quickly. He mentioned efforts to scale back administrative burdens on Ukrainians, similar to creating the brand new momentary visa program and eliminating sure necessities, are supposed to facilitate this need.

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“In our conversations with the Ukrainian neighborhood, we heard that many individuals wished to return to Canada quickly, not as refugees, whereas the scenario unfolds (in Ukraine) after which return residence,” mentioned Fraser’s spokesperson Aidan Strickland in an electronic mail assertion.

“People can be thought of refugees when there are not any different sturdy options. That’s not presently the case in Ukraine as a result of folks have fled to the ‘relative stability of protected neighboring international locations’ the place Canadian officers can course of purposes.”

Learn extra:

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However migration consultants say that’s what practically all refugees need: to be freed from hazard and to stay in a protected place till they will return residence.

“The discrimination right here I believe comes from giving Ukrainians the good thing about the doubt – that they’ll return residence – and never different teams,” mentioned Serena Parekh, a professor at Northeastern College in Boston and an skilled on international refugee resettlement.

There’s additionally nothing stopping Ukrainians from submitting an asylum declare as soon as they arrive in Canada. Home and worldwide regulation offers everybody the identical proper to hunt safety in Canada.


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The federal government should additionally think about humanitarian purposes made by anybody who needs to remain in Canada, even after their momentary visa has expired. If an applicant has a job, owns a enterprise, or has a household, the federal government will consider these elements earlier than deciding whether or not to ship them again to their nation of origin.

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“The truth is that none of us know what’s going to occur in Ukraine,” mentioned Christina Clark-Kazak, a migration skilled and professor on the College of Ottawa.

Clark-Kazak mentioned Ukrainian-Canadians have efficiently persuaded the federal government to assist fellow Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion in methods no different refugees have beforehand been helped.

And whereas this can be a good factor, she mentioned, Canada additionally has a “ethical obligation” to assist the folks of Afghanistan due to the function the Canadian army performed within the two-decades-long battle within the nation.

“Particular person circumstances will decide whether or not or not folks determine to return and once they determine to return,” she mentioned. “Identical to once they flee.”



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