Canada 'Needs to Secure Immediate Return' of Wrongfully Imprisoned Canadians in the Dominican Republic

ALPA, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE); and Unifor have launched a public campaign calling on the government of Canada to secure the safe return of five Canadians who have been arbitrarily imprisoned in the Dominican Republic after reporting a crime they were not involved in.

For more than 40 days, a Canadian aircrew—including two CUPE members, one ALPA member, and one Unifor member—have been arbitrarily detained, threatened, and prosecuted after discovering and reporting 200 kg of narcotics to the police.

“It is entirely unacceptable that our members have been thrown in jail for doing their jobs, and dutifully reporting a crime,” said Capt. Tim Perry, president of ALPA Canada. “We are urging the Canadian government to take serious action and help bring our crew home.”

Together, the three unions represent more than 90,000 airline workers. Collectively, the unions are cautioning all travelers and employees on the risks of travel to the Dominican Republic.

“The Canadian government needs to do all in its power to bring the Pivot Airlines crew safely back home,” said Scott Doherty, the executive assistant to Unifor's national president. “Our member is a part-time worker, who had the misfortune of becoming entangled in a dangerous situation after finding and reporting illegal drugs onboard. Our union joins his family and friends in their concern for his safety. We need the federal government to intervene immediately.”

Even though there is no evidence tying them to a crime, the Dominican Republic prosecutor is currently seeking to hold the five Canadians in jail for upwards of 12 months.

“We are gravely concerned about our members and the entire crew, who have been held captive under tremendously challenging conditions,” said Wesley Lesosky, president of CUPE's airline division. “The fact is Canadian lives are at risk in the Dominican Republic. We need our government to act.”

FMI: Petition to Free Bal Krishna Dubey (Unifor), Petition to Free Christina Carello and Alexander Rozov (CUPE), Petition to Free the Pivot Crew (ALPA)