Guest UBC lecturer denied entry to Canada

A guest lecture sponsored by the Serbian Students Association (SSA) of the University of British Columbia was cancelled Thursday after Srdja Trifkovic was denied entry into Canada.

Trifkovic, known for his contentious views on Islam and the Bosnian Genocide, was set to deliver a lecture entitled, "The Balkans: Uncertain Prospects for an Unstable Region." On Thursday, it was reported that Trifkovic spent five hours detained at Vancouver International Airport before he was sent back to the U.S.

In a subsequent blog post for the U.S. Chronicles magazine, Trifkovic wrote:

It turns out I am “inadmissible on grounds of violating human or international rights for being a proscribed senior official in the service of a government that, in the opinion of the minister, engages or has engaged in terrorism, systematic or gross human rights violations, or genocide, a war crime or a crime against humanity within the meaning of subsections 6 (3) to (5) of the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act.”

News of the controversial academic’s arrival roused tension both on and off campus. The Ubysseyreported that at least one student raised concern with university administration, and the Institute for Genocide Research Canada sent a letter of protest to UBC’s president. The university did not release a statement regarding the controversy.