After being extradited to Dubai, Quebec man denied access to lawyer, Canadian diplomats

André Gauthier, who was extradited from Oman on Wednesday to the UAE where he already spent 18 months in detention without charge between 2015 to 2017, said he was denied access to his lawyer and Canadian diplomats.

In a brief phone call with his son, Gauthier said he has been cooped up with five officers "for hours," during which he hasn't been allowed to see Canadian officials or his lawyer.

André Gauthier, a 65-year-old expert in precious metals trading, attempted to travel back to Canada through Oman. However, in March 2019, the Omani authorities jailed Gauthier and stopped him from returning to his homeland while he waited to hear an appeal on an eight-year sentence handed down by the UAE authorities. 

On Wednesday, he was extradicted to the UAE despite his family's appeals for his release.

"This is certainly not a case where the Canadian government can be silent," Radha Stirling, CEO of the U.K.- and U.S.-based legal and human rights organization Detained in Dubai, said.