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Canada expelling Eritrean diplomat for using consulate to shake down citizens for ‘national defence’

TORONTO — Canada is expelling an Eritrean diplomat after he was caught using his consulate in Toronto as a fundraising front for the repressive African regime and its military in violation of international sanctions. Consul Semere

TORONTO — Canada is expelling an Eritrean diplomat after he was caught using his consulate in Toronto as a fundraising front for the repressive African regime and its military in violation of international sanctions.

Consul Semere Ghebremariam O. Micael was ordered home Wednesday after a government investigation confirmed his office was soliciting money from expatriates — some of it explicitly for the Eritrean armed forces.

The fundraising scheme was illegal because the United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on the Eritrean military over its support for armed groups in the Horn of Africa such as the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab.

“Canada has taken steps to expel (declared persona non grata) Mr. Semere Ghebremariam O. Micael, Consul and head of the Eritrean Consulate General in Toronto, effective immediately,” Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said in a statement.

Mr. O. Micael must leave Canada by noon on June 5. As is typical in such cases, the government gave no explanation for the expulsion. The statement said only that Ottawa had repeatedly told Eritrea to respect international sanctions and Canadian law.

“Today’s actions speak for themselves,” Mr. Baird said.

The expulsion is meant to send a message to the Eritrean regime that its illicit fundraising practices would not be tolerated in Canada. It comes after Foreign Affairs had repeatedly warned Eritrea in diplomatic notes to stop.

But the consul continued anyway and last week the National Post revealed that as recently as two weeks ago he was still using his office to pressure Canadians to hand over 2% of their wages to the regime, as well as an additional $300 to $500 for the country’s military.

“I think it had to happen. The consulate was warned and ignored the warning,” said David Matas, the Eritrean-Canadian Human Rights Group’s senior legal counsel.

“The people who were being victimized were Canadian dual nationals and permanent residents. It was essential that the government of Canada stand up for Canadians being victimized on Canadian soil by a foreign government.

In an interview Monday, Mr. Micael denied he was collecting taxes and insisted he was only providing “information” on how donate to his impoverished government. He also said he had not collected money for the military for “five, six years.”

But an internal letter distributed by the consulate last August explained how to send money collected in Canada to the regime’s military. “Victory to the masses!” read the one-page letter, obtained by the National Post.

It told consulate “representatives” how to use a German bank account to transfer “payments” from Canada meant for Eritrea’s Ministry of Defence. Dated Aug. 31, 2012, the letter was evidence of an organized attempt by the Eritrean consulate to fundraise for the state and its armed forces in defiance of Canada’s repeated demands that it stop.

Eritrean-Canadians had long complained about the taxation system, calling it extortion. The Eritrean-Canadian Human Rights Group recently provided new evidence of the ongoing fundraising scheme to the Post as well as to Foreign Affairs, which was already conducting its own investigation.

Mr. Micael was Eritrea’s only accredited diplomat in Canada. The government statement said Eritrea was welcome to send a replacement “but that person must be prepared to play by the rules. Our resolve should not be further tested.”

Since winning independence 20 years ago following a war with Ethiopia, Eritrea has fomented instability in the region by supplying weapons, training and cash to several armed groups. As a result, in 2009 the UN imposed sanctions on Eritrea.

A one-party state, the country is one of the world’s most repressive and impoverished. It has failed to develop a formal economy and is dependent on “diaspora taxes” imposed on the large number of expatriates who have fled the country.

The taxes are collected at embassies and consulates around the world, including until recently in Toronto. The UN reported that “threats, harassment and intimidation against the individual concerned or relatives in Eritrea” were used to extract tax payments.

National Post

Link: Canada expelling Eritrean diplomat for using consulate to shake down citizens for ‘national defence

 

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125 COMMENTS
  • Michael May 29, 2013

    asee asena higdef emra tihatsr alla

  • Michael May 29, 2013

    mot kinana ni higdef mendef

  • Salim May 29, 2013

    bsenki qurmdna kab santim tewS’ mot yHsheni ilkas netom kal’ot 2% kKeflu zdelyu hgerawyan mEnqaS Abi bElgna ‘yu zQuSer::

  • josef May 29, 2013

    Hyderabad resahat serekti leyabu izi qa kiwihdom.

  • Salim May 29, 2013

    This is your primeminister:

    “Meles Zenawi net worth: Meles Zenawi Asres was the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia who presided over the country from 1995 to his death in 2012. He was also the President of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995. He was one of the most recent literate and forward thinking leaders of Africa. Zenawi had an MBA from the United Kingdom, and a Masters of science in economics from Netherlands. His net worth currently stands at $3 Billion.”

    • Semhar May 30, 2013

      Thanks and well done the Government of Canada and all the citizens of Canada for your courageous action!

    • Tirhas May 30, 2013

      where did you got this information. From ministry of disinformatioon. Come on – didnt they say long time ago – Haile Sellasie has stashed billions in foreign banks. So far no one proved right. Meles is very careful and will not indulge in such things.

    • Meron May 30, 2013

      His source is the pathological liar Elias kifle of Ethiopian review who is very known for fabricating things. His source is the non-existing “Ethiopian Review Intelligence Unit”, and he released this fabrication in 2011.

      http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/35441

      Now, some other websites are copying it.

      The same person also reported the following white lies: Mahumud Alamoudi, the Ethiopian richest man died

      http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/40899

      Salim, do you really know what you are talking about?

  • Isayas Afhari ist ein Vampire May 29, 2013

    Thank you CANADA.

  • jaber ali hummad May 29, 2013

    Ab Toronto zi tegebre ni leyabu shaabia,khijji nehna ab Montreal trayi terifunna.Ab Toronto zello abbay khelbi shaabia zei kones quraqur nehna nifltom allow.

  • Salim May 29, 2013

    Al-Qaeda letter indicates $1.1M paid to free diplomats Fowler, Guay

    An al-Qaeda letter found in an abandoned building in Mali indicates the extremist group was paid $1.1 million to release Canadian diplomats Robert Fowler and Louis Guay in 2009.

    • Genet May 30, 2013

      Hy, Salim
      You are quoting Al-Qaeda now. Take it easy body. It is just the PFDJ system crumbling in front of our eyes. It is a good time.
      Genet

  • MightyEmbasoyra May 29, 2013

    Good job, Canadian-Eritreans human rights team! I wish issayas lay this guy off and then he would taste the ordinary Eritreans life.

  • Yohannes May 29, 2013

    About time and my many other great nations follow Canada’ footsteps. Thank you Canada! I don’ t think your 2% or even 100% will save the MONSTEROUS regime, but I think one thing that MAY delay his fall will be,
    when you and those like you pack up and join his elite palace guard helping him to flee unharmed leaving you behind as Mengistu did, or witness his final days in person receiving a shameful peoples judgment as the late monsters ; Gadaffi and Ceausescus did. The shifta regime does NOT meet the qualifications nor the definition of a government. Actions speak louder than words, the regime’s actions have always been that of a bandit, untamed wild creature and YES of that flesh eating monster. Thanks

    • Ahmed May 30, 2013

      Yohannes

      You know lets just assume that like you said the government falls and the supporters left behind, what do you think would happen to them in your so called democratic government? You have to know that we will never ever accept such agame agent government so we know we have a back up plan, I mean plan B so it will be easy for us to revers it right away you know what I mean.

      • MightyEmbasoyra May 30, 2013

        Ahmed,
        First, who is calling Agame to whom? You meant to your boss isayas. If that was the case, they are now leading you (isayas, monkey, kisha).
        2nd, you have no power or the will to fight. Actually, you will be one of the first people to claim that you were on the opposition side or nowhere to be found.
        Have you ever thought about it?
        Just saying.

        • ahmed saleh June 2, 2013

          Pure and compassionate Eritreans never call un-necessary names to their fellow country men except those
          sold outs and those who lack personal confidence or some sort of complex in to our national issues .

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