Canadian Court found probe of extortion by ruling AL members in Bangladesh
OTTAWA – In a granted judicial review of Shahin Sarker, a non-conventional refugee from Bangladesh, the Canadian Federal Court Judge Henry S. Brown wrote in his judgment that, “he was targeted by members of the ruling Awami League political party to extort his family’s grocery business.”
However, this granted judgment was ordered on October 3, 2022 in capital Ottawa, but that has been just translated and released for public on August 16, 2023.
The judge elaborated the fact in the paragraphs from 5 to 9 of the judgment that, “The Applicant is a 39-year-old man from Bangladesh. The RPD [Refugee Protection Division] found he was targeted by members of the ruling Awami League political party to extort his family’s grocery business. The Applicant faced three incidents beginning on January 15, 2006. At that time, the agents of harm attended his store and demanded three lakhs Taka. The Applicant was struck with an iron rod and left unconscious when he refused. On this attack, the RPD had oral testimony and documentary evidence from the Applicant – which it accepted and found credible. On March 10, 2006, the Applicant was punched in the face when returning home with a friend. The Applicant again sought medical attention. Here too, RPD had oral testimony and documentary evidence from the Applicant – which it accepted and found credible. On July 27, 2006, the Applicant received a threatening phone call that he would be handed over to the Rapid Action Battalion, an anti-crime and anti-terrorist unit of the police, unless he paid three lakhs Taka within 10 days. The RPD had oral testimony and documentary evidence from the Applicant, which it accepted and found credible. The Applicant testified on these matters at the RPD, and set out these incidents in his Basis of Claim [BOC].”
This judgment can be viewed or download PDF copy (click here to read it) from the decision archive of Federal Court of Canada by inputting Docket: IMM-6777-21 and Citation: 2022 FC 1367 between Shahin Sarker and The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
