The lawyer for a former Toronto man sentenced to life behind bars in Ethiopia is calling on the Canadian government to suspend aid to the African country.
An Ethiopian court sentenced Bashir Makhtal Monday to life in prison.
Mr. Makhtal was convicted of terrorism-related charges last week in Addis Ababa.
Lorne Waldman, Mr. Makhtal’s Toronto lawyer, called the proceedings a “kangaroo court” that ignored important evidence.
Mr. Waldman said he wants the federal government to cut off development aid to Ethiopia in protest.
The Conservatives said last week they would seek clemency for Mr. Makhtal if the Ethiopian government sentenced him to death.
Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon is expected to issue a statement Monday afternoon. But his spokeswoman Catherine Loubier said that although it is not a “death penalty”, the Canadian government is “extremely disappointed with the severity of the sentence.”
“His lawyer is working on an appeal. And we continue to work with them. We continue to work with the family and to assist in every way possible and to explore every action that we have,” said Ms. Loubier.
She said she will not comment specifically on his lawyer’s request to cut off aid to Ethiopia “because obviously we don’t base the aid of a country only on one factor.” And that decision also involves International Development Minister Bev Oda.
