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Huseyin Celil and one of his youngest children in a photo taken shortly before his arrest in 2006.

March 27, 2006: Huseyin Celil, having recently received his Canadian citizenship, is arrested while visiting family in Uzbekistan

March 29: Canada finds out Mr. Celil is arrested in Uzbekistan.

April 13: A Canadian official, the Honorary Consul to Uzbekistan, meets with Mr. Celil for the first time. He would meet two more times with an official from the Canadian embassy in Moscow.





June 22: The date Mr. Celil was most likely extradited to China.

June 26: Canada finds out Celil has been extradited to China, where he is wanted on charges of terrorism.

July 27: Peter MacKay, then the minister of foreign affairs, brings up Celil case with Chinese Foreign Minister at ASEAN summit.

Oct. 19: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper mentions the Celil case during an interview with the Canadian Chinese-language Sing Tao daily newspaper.

Jan 17, 2007: Canadian parliamentary delegation raises the Celil case with vice-chairman of National People's Congress Foreign Affairs Committee

Feb. 2: Mr. Celil's trial begins in Urumqi in northwest China. Canadian embassy officials miss the opening of the trial, angering the Canadian Prime Minister, who orders them to go.

Feb. 8: Canadian officials meet with Mr. Celil's family, lawyer and court officials in Urumqi. Consular officials stay in Urumqi for the duration of the trial.

April 19: Mr. Celil is sentenced to life in prison in China for terrorism offences and trying to split the country.

July 10: Mr. Celil's appeal is dismissed in a 40-minute hearing.

May 22, 2008: The Globe publishes a letter written by Mr. Celil in prison, in which he asks his family to "pray for me."

July 27: A federal minister orders Revenue Canada to reinstate benefits for Mr. Celil's wife. The agency had cut the benefits after Mr. Celil's wife was unable to obtain his signature on a form.

Feb 8, 2012: Mr. Harper raises the Celil case during a trip to China.

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