By Canadian Press

Canada halts planned deportation of bisexual man to Kenya

Aug 24, 2024 | 3:50 PM

TORONTO — Supporters of a bisexual man in Canada on the verge of being deported to Kenya say the federal government has halted the move just a day before his scheduled flight.

Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, an organization supporting Charles Mwangi, says the 48-year-old man living in Toronto has been granted a one-year temporary resident permit.

Mwangi, who says he fled death threats and abuse in Kenya because of his sexuality before arriving in Canada in 2019, had feared his forced return, especially since his activism and the notoriety of his case placed him at even greater risk of persecution.

Kenya criminalizes same-sex relationships, and human rights groups there have reported widespread cases of discrimination, harassment and violence against LGBTQ people, with police often cited as one of the major perpetrators.

Mwangi, who has worked as a long-term care home support worker, made a last-ditch request this week for the United Nations Human Rights Committee to intervene in his case after his refugee claim was denied in 2021 and several follow-up appeals were unsuccessful.

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A copy of the UN application says his refugee claim was denied because the adjudicator did not find Mwangi, who is married and has two children, to be a credible bisexual man despite his sworn testimony, the testimony of a man he was said to be dating in Toronto and his activism with local LGBTQ organizations.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Canadian Press