Potato farmer Henk Tepper has been held without charge in a Beirut jail for more than 125 days. The Canadian of Dutch descent was arrested in March when he was visiting Lebanon with a Canadian trade delegation. His arrest was prompted by an alleged shipment of rotten potatoes to Algeria in 2007.

"Henk Tepper is doing very poorly” says his Dutch cousin by the same name from the town of Zuidbroek in the north-eastern province of Groningen. “He has been held in a Lebanese prison cell under terrible conditions for more than 125 days. He has to share his cell with other men and it's boiling hot in there. His Canadian lawyer has visited him earlier this month and says that Henk is both psychologically and physically in bad shape. He is ill and would like to see a doctor, but not a Lebanese doctor, because he has been told that in Lebanon sick prisoners are chained to their hospital beds.” 

Ring rot
Henk Tepper, one of Canada’s biggest potato farmers, was visiting Lebanon in March with a delegation of Canadian farmers to talk about export opportunities. Henk was unexpectedly arrested during the visit. It later turned out that Henk Tepper’s name was on an Interpol list of wanted persons.

The Algerian authorities had him put on that list after a dispute over a shipment of potatoes in 2007. The Algerian government claims the 3,800 tons of potatoes were infected with ring rot, a bacterial disease which is not harmful to humans. Algeria refused to accept the shipment after which Henk Tepper filed a lawsuit.

The shipment was eventually sold to Syria, but at a knockdown price. Henk Tepper lost 1.3 million Canadian dollars on the deal.

No Canadian effort
Henk Tepper was completely unaware that he was wanted by Interpol and travelled to Lebanon in the spring. Henk and his father Berend have been doing business with Lebanon for years, to the satisfaction of both parties.

Henk's detention has already lasted 125 days, but he still has not been charged with any crime. An extradition to Algeria is unlikely as Lebanon has no extradition treaty with that country.

The Canadian authorities are not making any visible effort to secure the release of one of their citizens, despite a request by Henk’s family and questions by a Canadian MP. Annual Canadian exports to Algeria amount to about 220 million Canadian dollars. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was reportedly aware that Henk Tepper was on Interpol’s wanted persons list, but failed to inform him of that fact.

Dutch government
His nephew in the Netherlands asked the Dutch government to mediate but received a “very nice, formal letter saying that the Canadian, Lebanese and Algerian embassies had been contacted, but that was all that the Dutch government could do. My cousin emigrated to Canada with his parents when he was still a child 32 years ago. He took Canadian nationality and lost his Dutch citizenship.”

Not just Henk Tepper, but his whole family are the victims of the situation. The cold storage facilities at the Tepper farm are full of potatoes and the family’s debts are increasing. Nobody knows where to ship the crop, because Henk is the one who maintains the farm’s international contacts. A shipment of potatoes is due to be sent to Cuba, but nobody knows who the contact there is.

Letter to the queen
The banks and other creditors are demanding to get paid. Henk Tepper’s desperate family has asked for an extension of payment. On Wednesday a meeting will be held in the Tepper family’s home province of New Brunswick to discuss how best to put pressure on the Canadian government. Henk Tepper’s two teenage daughters even sent a letter to the British queen, Canada’s official head of state, asking her to intercede on their behalf. Nearly 500 people have signed a petition and the family has started a website called Free Henk Tepper.

(gsh/rk)