Members of a seven-person Canadian delegation met last week with representatives of the United Nations committee that holds Canadian Abousfian Abdelrazik’s life in its hands. The Security Council 1267 Committee has the power to add and remove people from a U.N. blacklist that has kept Abdelrazik under severe sanctions-a travel ban and asset freeze-for almost five years.

The committee called for Abdelrazik’s removal from the list and the abolition of the blacklisting system. Abdelrazik is the only Canadian on the al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee’s blacklist.

Abdelrazik spent six years in forced exile in the Sudan and time in prison, where he said he was tortured. His name was placed on the U.N. blacklist in 2006 because of allegations he was a possible al-Qaeda operative. Abdelrazik submitted a de-listing request in January, 2011, which was refused without explanation.

Abdelrezik has said that the Harper government calls him an “Islamic extremist,” which he claims is untrue. “I invite you and the rest of the committee to walk in my shoes. I invite you to live with me for one day,” he said. “I address the humanity in you to do the justice for me. Please, I suffer enough. I want to end this suffering. The decision is in your hand.”

The delegation supporting Abdelrazik is backed by a broad spectrum of groups, including faith-based groups, labor unions, community organizations, women’s associations and student groups from across Canada. In the United States, the president of the 12.5 million member AFL-CIO union sent a letter to the committee chair in his support.

“Abousfian Abdelrazik belongs to a list of Canadians who have been tortured overseas as a result of overzealous security practices. Canada’s two security agencies cleared Mr. Abdelrazik of any involvement in criminal activities,” said Sameer Zuberi, a delegate and board member of the Canadian Muslim Forum and a UQAM law student.

“However, Abdelrazik remains trapped in limbo by the 1267 list. The wide security net that is cast over Canadian Muslims sends a dangerous and inaccurate message of fear and mistrust. The result: Canadian Muslims are made to feel like fifth columns in their own homes. This situation is neither sustainable nor healthy for society.”

The delegation delivered a strong message to the blacklist committee’s chair, Peter Wittig: that Abdelrazik should be immediately removed from the blacklist and that the blacklisting regime itself should be scrapped, as it is wholly at odds with the U.N. principles expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Wittig said that the delegation’s messages had been received. He asked Abdelrazik to trust in the de-listing process.