My name is Amir Hodhod and I am 42 years old. I was born in the city of Mansoura on the banks of the Nile River in Egypt. My family is a member of the Coptic Christian minority, and I have one younger brother and one younger sister. I graduated as a pharmacist in 1990 from Mansoura University and moved to Cairo where I studied philosophy. Before I fled Egypt I was a writer, and I published articles in various secular, progressive and dissident magazines.

I left Egypt in 1999 because I was under threat from both the government and from religious fundamentalists due to my articles and my political activities. I fled initially to the United States, where I lived and worked illegally in New York City. I came to Montreal in 2003, fleeing the racist situation I was experiencing and witnessing in the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks.

On April 6, 2006 -- in less than three weeks -- I am scheduled to be deported to the United States. If I am removed to the United States, it is almost certain that I will be detained and returned to Egypt. Currently, Immigration Canada offers me only two options: deportation to the United States (and almost certain detention); or my "voluntary" return to Egypt, where I fear persecution due to my political beliefs and activities.

I feel it is important to make clear -- to my friends and supporters, and to the media and general population -- some of the important issues involved as I confront the difficult choices I must make in the coming days and weeks.

I was a political activist in Egypt -- for leftist and secular movements -- and those activities continued actively and publicly in Montreal, especially in the past several months. Recently, I have written and spoken against the repression in Egypt during the recent elections, and the government massacre of Sudanese refugees in Cairo this past December 2005.

Because of my very public political activities, including writings in Arabic for various progressive websites, I have reason to fear that I will be persecuted and detained in Egypt.

The human rights situation in Egypt is essentially ignored in the Canadian media, but the Egyptian regime -- which is supported financially and militarily by the West -- is one of the most brutal in the world. In Egypt there are thousands of political prisoners, open debate and free speech is repressed, torture and ill treatment is a normal practice by the police and authorities, death in custody is common, and many activists are disappeared. This situation is confirmed by various human rights reports and agencies. Anyone familiar with Egypt is aware of the repressive nature of the Egyptian authorities.

Right now, the political repression in Egypt is getting worse and worse due to the recent political confrontations between the opposition and the Mubarak regime.

I have not hesitated to speak out against injustice, both within Egypt, and here in Canada. Because of my outspoken beliefs, I have reason to believe that I will be targeted if I am returned to Egypt. This is not speculation: I have a very real fear of persecution, based on my positions as a secular, progressive leftist.

It might seem convenient for me to silently return to Egypt, and to cease my political activity, including my writings. However, I write this statement to make clear, to everyone, that I refuse to be silenced, even in the face of possible removal to a brutal regime. I insist that the truth about the situation in Egypt be exposed, and I want to continue to expose those truths.

I ask: How is it possible for the Canadian government to even consider deporting someone back to a brutal regime, known for torture and ill-treatment (and if I'm sent to the USA, that means I will certainly be sent back to Egypt, after enduring detention in US jails). I have not been given a fair hearing by Canada's refugee system. I was never allowed to appeal my refugee claim refusal on it merits. And now, I have no legal avenue to provide all the documentation attesting to the potential risk and ill treatment I face if I am deported on April 6, 2006.

I was refused recognition as a political refugee by the Canadian government. But my writings, and my political activities -- on behalf of secular, progressive leftist movements, and against the Egyptian government as well as, partially, religious fundamentalists -- make it clear that there is a high danger of facing persecution (including detention and torture) if returned. This is the clear definition of a political refugee, but the Canadian system provides me with no fair way to be recognized as a political refugee.

I have lived away from Egypt for seven years -- four years in the USA, and three years in Canada. That entire time I was a non-status person. That means that I lived the nightmare of uncertainty, not knowing what the future holds for me, and never being able to properly build my life. That nightmare continues, as I face the possibility of being returned to a country that I fled. My future right now is detention and possible torture.

I want simply to be able to establish a regular life, to build on my previous experiences, and to be able to contribute meaningfully to society, including thru my writings and my political activities.

I make this statement so that I can remain true to my beliefs, and not hide, in any way, my true feelings about the Egyptian regime -- including the thousands of political prisoners -- and the immigration process in Canada. I have worked to raise awareness about non-status peoples in Canada, and I feel it's important that I remain outspoken even as I, a non-status person, confront the fate of deportation.


Amir Hodhod
March 14, 2006
MONTREAL