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Woman facing marijuana charges in U.S. loses refugee bidLast Updated Fri, 17 Jun 2005 17:47:29 EDT The federal justice minister has denied refugee status to an American woman who faces drug conspiracy charges in the U.S. for her role in a marijuana grow-op.
On Thursday, Renee Boje of Vancouver was ordered to surrender to Canadian authorities in B.C., to be deported to the U.S. to answer to the drug charges. Boje complied with the order Friday, but was released on bail a few hours later. She said she will continue to fight her extradition. Eight years ago, Boje was arrested and charged in California after police raided a marijuana-growing operation. A year later, she arrived in Canada, where she applied for refugee status. She's been trying to stay here ever since. She claims she'd been helping a man produce marijuana for medicinal purposes. In a decision released Thursday, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler dismissed Boje's claim she would suffer "cruel and unusual punishment" at the hands of U.S. authorities. If convicted in California, she could face a sentence of up to 10 years. Cotler also dismissed her claim that she was the victim of political persecution in the United States. Boje has a three-year-old son, whom she worries she may not be able to see if she ends up serving time in a U.S. jail. Her Canadian husband, Chris Bennett, a high-profile cannabis activist, would not be a welcome visitor to the United States, she said. That means their son would have nobody to bring him to the prison for visits. "It would be devastating for him to have his mother ripped away from him and imprisoned in another country," Boje said. Bennett said Cotler's decision in his wife's case was politically motivated. "He used my wife as a gold chip in the world of commerce with America, to continue ensured trade relations and other relations with America," he said Friday. "He's showing no compassion in his decision, no evidence of human rights types of ideas. It's purely a political decision." |
