A Brampton woman who claims she’ll be a victim of an honour killing if deported to Pakistan will open the door for other women to seek refuge if she’s allowed to stay here, her lawyer says.
Roohi Tabassum, 44, claims she will be killed by her ex-husband because she left him and came to Canada and works as a hairsytlist touching men’s hair. He is also outraged that she may have a boyfriend, which she denies.
“This is a landmark case and a lot of people are awaiting the outcome,” her Toronto lawyer Max Berger said recently.
“There are many cases of domestic abuse being heard by the immigration and refugee board.”
Berger said there other people in similar situations who may file refugee claims.
He appeared before a Federal Court of Canada judge last Wednesday seeking a judicial review to kill the deportation order issued against Tabassum. The judge will issue a written decision in weeks.
“Honour killings are well known in Pakistan,” Berger said.
Citing U.S. statistics, Berger told an immigration board that as many as 1,500 women were killed in 2007 in honour killings in Pakistan.
Tabassum was smuggled into Canada from the U.S. in 2001 and filed a failed refugee claim. She faces deportation to the U.S., then to Pakistan.
She has said she faced criticism for going public with her plight. She has also received much support.
NDP MP Irene Mathyssen this month called on immigration minister Jason Kenney to keep Tabassum in Canada.
“I am saddened that this woman’s life remains in limbo and that the minister seems uninterested in protecting her,” she said on her website.
Tabassum’s cousin was the victim of an honour killing after she refused an arranged wedding to an older man.
Officials of the Canada Border Services Agency said Tabassum has had her hearings and must leave Canada.
