Warning: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected.
A female former Afghan interpreter, shaking in her story box, gripping a teddy bear, working in Afghanistan, details the painful sexual abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of Canadian government employees.
The woman’s identity is protected by a publication ban for four days this week and records how the alleged abuse began at the age of 17, which lasted until 2013 shortly after she moved to Canada in October 2011.
The woman said of her alleged assaulter: “He called me a sex toy, a prostitute and a bitch.
She said she was thousands of miles from her family in Kandahar and said she could not get support from her mother, father, siblings or friends. She said it came from a culture of honor, which meant that if the alleged abuse came to news of her father, there would be terrible consequences.
“He will kill me,” she said. “It’s always a woman’s fault in Afghanistan.”
Galal Eldien Ali, who worked as a technical consultant in Kandahar from 2009 to 2012, faces many charges.
The 64-year-old Ottawa resident’s allegations include sexual assault, sexual exploitation, assault, speech and extortion of young people.
In a civil trial that begins next year, the complainant will sue Alibaba for $1.75 million in search of punitive damages for mental pain, future or past economic benefits.
The woman also filed a lawsuit against the Canadian government for more than 1 million Canadian dollars, but the case has been settled in court this summer.
According to his LinkedIn page, Ali works in Canada’s global affairs until May 2024. A department spokesperson said Alibaba is currently on vacation.
“We take all allegations of sexual assault or harassment very seriously,” the spokesperson said. “Zero sexual misconduct in Canada’s global affairs.”
“She is your daughter now”
The court heard this week that the woman was educated at the Canadian-funded school in Kandahar at the age of 15 and began working as an interpreter at Camp Nathan Smith in Kandahar. At the age of 17, she learned that she was eligible to move to Canada through an interpretation program for a special immigration program and was given the opportunity.
“My first, only goal is to get a junior college education in Canada,” she told the court.
The woman said initially, her father refused to let her go because she was still young and he was worried that she was vulnerable to sexual exploitation. She discussed her disappointment with Ali, who also worked in the camp. She said Ali told her that he would talk to her father.
The woman said that at a meeting between the three, Ali put his hands on the Quran and vowed that he would protect her in Canada.
After rest assured, the woman said her father allowed him to permit. She said that her father held Ali’s hand, put it on his head, and told Ali: “She is your daughter now.”
“He told me that I had to enjoy him sexually
The woman then traveled to Ottawa in October 2011 to live with Ali, his wife and their children while she received her education.
The woman said in Ottawa that she asked Ali to help her go to college and claimed that Ali said her English was not good enough and she should try to strip. She claims Ali told her that because she is a petite virgin, she can earn $500 a night, which is the best way to help her family.
She was determined to get an education and said she needed to take a language test to determine which course she needed to take to improve her English. But when she asked him to arrange the exam, he asked for some reward.
“He told me that I had to get sexual desire to him before taking me to the test site,” she told the court.
“I tried to push him”
The woman went on to describe how Ali would walk into her room regularly. She described the royal inquiry in the graphic details, and in disagreement, Ali touched her sexual behavior several times on the top and under her clothes.
She said that in a 2011 attack, his children were at home with her about the time she was in the basement laundry room.
“I tried to push him, but I had no strength,” she explained, and when she started screaming, he took her to another room with his hands.
“I have two things in my mind,” she told the court. “I’m going to be raped or I’m going to die.”
After the alleged attack in the bedroom, she said Ali told her that if she told anyone, the camera was hidden in his room and sent videos of the two of them to her father in Afghanistan. She said she felt fear and confusion, knowing that if her father found out, her mother and sister would be punished.
The woman told the court that she moved out of Ali’s family home on February 1, 2012, a few months after arriving in Canada, and then moved in again a few months later – both times moving into accommodation without a man present.
In the summer of 2013, she claimed that Ali called her and said he wanted to meet. She told the court that if she refused to rendezvous, he would send a video to his father.
She said they met at the deputy market and she got in the car, he drove to Montreal, and he arranged a hotel.
She gave a detailed description of the long-term sexual abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of Ali in that hotel room and used a camera to capture what happened.
“I remember he had a black camera. I do remember that it was a home camera because I saw that camera in their home, too,” she said.
Attacking the “miscuous” memory
The woman said Ali then took her to a nearby shopping mall, bought her some purple lace underwear, and asked her to wear it when she returned to the hotel.
Ali allegedly showed Ali pictures of himself shaking hands with former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, former Defense Secretary Peter Mackay and former Governor David Johnston. She told the court that Ali threatened her, saying that if she revealed what she did, he would have strong friends and influence to ensure her immigration status would be revoked.
The woman told the court that the photo looked fake. The photograph of the description was not used as evidence.
Allegedly on her way home from Montreal the next morning, Ali took her to Rad Amusement Park and asked her to ride on various rides and take photos.
During the cross-examination, Ali’s defense attorney took her to complete each charge, asking her to provide precise details of the incident.
Some so-called events lack details about their order, details, time, or degree. She said there were other events that were not remembered at first, but later on.
She said she was so traumatized that her exact memory of so-called abuse was “fuzzy” or “mishy”.
The woman explained that she was coping with post-traumatic stress disorder and was treated for depression.
Alibaba’s defense attorney repeatedly challenged the woman, indicating that these incidents never happened. She replied: “That’s why I’m talking about it here. If it didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be here.”
After four days of testimony, the trial was adjourned, so the official and defense attorneys could deal with technical issues regarding the introduction of new evidence.
The woman’s cross-examination will be resumed in Ottawa Court on Monday.
If you are directly at risk or concerned about your own safety or the safety of others around you, call 911. For support in your area, you can find it through The In Crisis Lines and local services End of Canadian Sexual Violence Association Database.
