By Dana Borcea
The Hamilton Spectator(Apr 19, 2007)

Said Maktal of Hamilton has waged an exhausting and often lonely battle for information about his cousin who disappeared in Africa more than three months ago.

He has hired lawyers, petitioned politicians and spent countless hours glued to his computer hunting for clues. The father of two has sacrificed work, sleep and time with his infant daughter and newborn son.

He says he has no choice. His cousin's life is on the line and family members around the
 world expect that as a Canadian, Maktal can save him.

Bashir Makhtal, a Canadian citizen and a former Toronto resident, was arrested in late December at the Kenyan border while trying to flee civil war in Somalia. He was deported to Somalia and from there flown to Ethiopia where he remains imprisoned without access to Canadian diplomats.

Maktal has painstakingly mapped his cousin's whereabouts with help from friends and family in Africa.

Several international human rights groups have also taken up Bashir's cause and passed on vital information.

Until last week, Maktal's regular calls to Canadian foreign affairs turned up close to no information.

"I was hitting a wall every time," he said. "Either they didn't know anything or didn't want to share with me. As a Canadian citizen, I was not treated the way I expected."

Last week, Ottawa passed on something concrete.

"(Ethiopia) finally admitted they have Bashir in custody," said Maktal.

Ethiopia's foreign affairs minister recently communicated to Canada's ambassador in the capital city of Addis Ababa that they were holding Bashir.

They agreed to grant him consular access but only after an investigation into his alleged ties to a separatist group. The Ogaden National Liberation Front is a group fighting for independence of ethnic Somalis living in eastern Ethiopia's Ogaden's region.

Maktal and Bashir's grandfather helped found the group and spent nearly a decade behind bars for his political activities. But Maktal insists his cousin was not involved.

Originally from the Ogaden region in Ethiopia, Bashir fled to Somalia as a youngster where he joined Maktal and his family.

The two boys grew up under the same roof, more like brothers than cousins.

Both eventually came to Canada as refugees.

Maktal settled in Hamilton. Bashir lived in Toronto where he studied and worked as a computer programmer for almost 10 years.

He worked hard in order to send money home to his large family, still living in Ethiopia's Ogaden region.

He helped put his nieces and nephews through school and became a lifeline for his impoverished relatives back home.

In 2001, he decided to move to Africa to start a used-clothing business and travelled often between Dubai, Kenya, Eritrea and Somalia.

Maktal said he spoke with his cousin often and would have known if he was involved in any of the Muslim-separatist activities he is being accused of funding or participating in.

Maktal said he is relieved officials have confirmed they have Bashir.

"They have finally admitted it to our government so now Bashir has people behind him."

But Maktal, who works as a lab technician at a north-end company, still stays awake nights wondering if he will ever see his cousin again.

He doesn't think Bashir will get anything more than a "show trial" in Ethiopia.

"They have a long history of fabricating information against anyone they want," he said.

"People there are so poor, without health, education or even clean water, that it would not be hard to get them to stand up against my cousin. They will do anything to survive."

Meanwhile, relatives in Ethiopia and Somalia have pinned their hopes for Bashir's freedom on Maktal.

"They think the government in Canada can do a lot for me," Maktal said.

"And since I'm their only hope, I tell them it's all going to be OK."

A foreign affairs spokesperson confirmed that the federal government is aware Bashir is in Ethiopia but does not know where he is being held.

dborcea@thespec.com

905-526-3214

Cousin faces 'show trial,' local man says

Said Maktal needs Ottawa to help free his imprisoned cousin.

Bashir Makhtal chronology:

Dec. 30 -- Canadian citizen and former Toronto resident Bashir Makhtal is arrested while trying to cross the Kenyan border after fleeing the threat of civil war in Somalia. After several weeks, he is deported back to Somalia and then on to Ethiopia.

-- His cousin, Hamilton resident, Said Maktal, learns of his arrest from family in Ethiopia and begins a campaign for

information about his whereabouts and well-being.

Jan. 24 -- Hamilton-Stoney Creek MP and NDP human rights critic Wayne Marston calls on Harper government to take immediate action to secure consular access to Bashir after being contacted by constituent Said Maktal.

-- Marston urges the government to avoid making the same mistakes it did with Maher Arar and Burlington's Huseyin Celil, who was arrested last year in Uzbekistan and then transferred to China where officials have denied him access to Canadian diplomats.

Feb. 13 -- Amnesty International takes up Bashir's cause and launches urgent appeal.

March 27 -- Said travels to Ottawa with new lawyer Lorne Waldman -- who also fought to free Maher Arar from a

Syrian prison -- to meet with the Ethiopian ambassador in Ottawa. The ambassador denies knowledge of Bashir's whereabouts.

-- A British human rights group reveals it has flight manifests that confirm Bashir is one of a number of prisoners

deported from Kenya.

April 4 -- About 60 demonstrators from the Ogaden Somali community in Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton protest in front of the Ethiopian Embassy in Ottawa, demanding Makhtal be freed from detention.

-- Amnesty International reveals it believes Makhtal is being held in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa in a prison known as Maikelawi.

April 10 -- The Ethiopian government acknowledges for the first time it has detained more than 40 foreign nationals from 17 countries. Ethiopia describes prisoners as "suspected

international terrorists". Despite no list of prisoners being

issued, Bashir Makhtal is believed to be among them.

April 11 -- Said learns from a Canadian foreign affairs official that Ethiopia has acknowledged to Canada's ambassador that Bashir is in detention there and will have consular

access after a probe into his alleged ties to a separatist group.

-- With files from Spectator wire services
 

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