CBC News is reporting that a local advocacy group has lost contact with a deported Russian, and there are fears he may have been killed. The Refugee Immigrant Advisory Council in St. John’s says that Alexander Kruglov was supposed to stay in touch by email when he was deported more than three months ago, but there has been no word from him. There were plenty of warnings about what would happen to Kruglov if he was sent back to Russia so, if he has been killed, there are people at Immigration Canada with blood on their hands.
In March of 2006, I highlighted Kruglov’s desperate situation in a media column for The Express. Things might have been different if Kruglov had received more media coverage, but that agenda was dominated almost entirely by the Portnoys (whose case was frivolous, to say the least). Check out my full column on the ‘Time to probe deeper on immigration’ link, below.
Another issue at play here is the fact that there is no Director General of Immigration in this province, but two in Halifax! The problem is, even if we can prove that Kruglov has been killed, we won’t get any comment from Immigration Canada because their policy is to not comment on specific cases. It is an abhorrent situation brought on by our privacy laws, which have created a cloak behind which public officials can conveniently hide when the questions start getting tough. For more on this, check ‘When privacy and accountability collide’ below.
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2 comments:
How can U conclude that because no email was received,this person may be killed!!!!Your comment "he was supposed to keep in contact" sounds like he was required too. There are too many other possibilities besided death- as for why this person did not follow his reporting-in instructions.
In reply to Morris Loder, I concluded no such thing and nor did the Refugee Immigrant Advisory Council. The council said he "may" have been killed because he did not stay in contact, as he had agreed to do. The council had worked hard on Kruglov's behalf, they had established a good rapport and there was no requirement to report back. It was strictly voluntary. -GM
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