Canada's Justice Department lawyers are attempting to discredit a Canadian citizen's assertions that he was beaten and abused by Sudanese police, suggesting instead that Abousfian Abdelrazik mutilated himself and that "tribal" practices of cutting or burning account for the scars on his body.

Mr. Abdelrazik has flatly denied self-mutilation. He has testified that the scars came from beatings while he was in Sudanese prison - a statement that is consistent with the regime's notorious record for abuse and torture.

In a long-distance cross-examination of Mr. Abdelrazik as the government fights to block his demand for a passport and the right to return to his Montreal home, Justice Department lawyer Anne Turley questioned Mr. Abdelrazik, who is black and a Muslim, by suggesting he was engaging in primitive practices. "I'm going to go back to questions I was asking you about traditional tribal remedies. Have you ever heard of cautery?"

Mr. Abdelrazik denied ever burning or cutting himself or allowing others to do so.

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