S. M. Tora's Contribution

Dear S. M. Tora:



The Office of the Prime Minister has forwarded to the Minister of

Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Peter G. MacKay, a copy of your email

of April 19, 2006, in which you express concerns regarding the

detention of Mr. Huseyincan Celil, in Uzbekistan.



I wish to assure you that officials of Foreign Affairs Canada in

Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in Moscow, Russia, and in Ottawa, are aware of

Mr. Celil's case and have been working tirelessly towards a

resolution. Officials are actively continuing their diplomatic efforts

and are in regular communication with Mr. Celil's family.



The Consular Affairs Bureau is mandated by the Privacy Act, which

prohibits the disclosure of personal information by a government

department or agency unless the consent of the individual(s) who are

the subject of the information has been obtained. Any personal

information cannot be disclosed to unauthorized parties without the

explicit consent of the individual(s) concerned.



As you can appreciate, the Canadian government has a legal obligation

to safeguard the privacy of Canadian citizens. We would like to

stress, however, that the Government of Canada is pursuing this matter

very seriously in order to bring an end to Mr. Celil's detention in

Uzbekistan.



Thank you for writing and taking the time to express your concerns.



Yours sincerely,









Janice Hayes

Director

Ministerial Correspondence Division