Republished May 13, 2016 - 11:43 PM
Original Publication Date May 13, 2016 - 10:30 PM
RED DEER, Alta. - A fundraiser has been held in Red Deer, Alta., for a British Columbia woman who says she wants to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and beg him to bring home her four children from Iraq.
Alison Azer's four children — Sharvahn, Rojevahn, Dersim and Meitam — are believed to be with their fugitive father, a noted B.C. doctor.
The children, who range in age from three to 11, were last seen by their mother on Aug. 3, 2015, just before their father was to take them on a two-week vacation.
A Canada-wide warrant was issued last August for Saren Azer, also known as Salahaddin Mahmudi-Azer, for abduction and contravention of a custody order.
Alison Azer says she's doing what she can to work with police and the federal government.
But she wants a chance to speak personally with Trudeau, saying she will beg for his help if she has to.
She has launched a petition to get Trudeau to telephone the president of Iran and demand the return of her children.
Hundreds attended Friday night's fundraiser, which featured guest speaker Amanda Lindhout, a former journalist from Red Deer who was held captive in Somalia for 15 months in 2008 and 2009.
(CKGY)
News from © The Canadian Press, 2016