Robert Pickton stabbed with toothbrush and broken broom handle: victim's family
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
A young Afghan woman who escaped to Canada last summer is desperately worried for her family members who did not make it out of the country and are now living in hiding.
Rukhshana Ahmidi, 22, worked as an interpreter for a Canadian doctor in Afghanistan and was able to escape the country on Aug. 15, the same day a suicide bombing hit the airport in Kabul.
Amid the confusion and chaos at the airport, Ahmidibecame separated from her family and eventually made it onto a flight, but without an update on the status of her loved ones.
Ahmidi, who now lives outside Toronto, only found out after landing in Kuwait that her family did not make it out of Afghanistan.
“I am much worried as every moment it is possible that they will [be] killed because they changed the house three times and are living in hiding places,” she told CTV National News.
“They are not allowed to go outside. It’s not humane for them.”
The same day Ahmidi left Afghanistan, her brother Rostum Ahmidi was beaten and arrested at the airport. A photo of his injuries shows large red contusions across his back.
“It was really hard for me: ‘What should I do? [I have] to be careful about myself, but I have to think about my brothers, my mom,’” she said.
“I was in shock and confused.”
Back in Kabul, the Taliban destroyed Rostum’s music shop, as the organization has banned music in the country. Ahmidi’s grandmother is in hiding and had to destroy her old police uniform, where she rose the ranks to become a sergeant.
The entire family is feeling the stress and anxiety of living in fear of the Taliban.
“I’m very depressed,” Ahmidi’s mother Eidmah said, translated to English. “I’m afraid the Taliban will come and arrest my son. I’m afraid they will kill us.”
Ahmidi said she is constantly awake at night concerned for her family’s well-being and is worried that the family’s connection to music may make them a bigger target.
“I am much worried, even tonight when my mom called at the middle of night,” she said. “I thought that something happened to my aunt or something happened to my brothers because he was signing.”
“If it continues, I’m sure that they will kill them, because they killed the cousin of my mother.”
Getting out of Afghanistan is extremely difficult, as refugees wait in line for hours and sometimes days for a visa that would get them to Iran and hopefully, from there, to Canada.
Canada has pledged to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees in Canada, but has not provided a timeline for doing so. The government has brought in 6,860 refugees total through its immigration streams as of Jan. 12, according to government data.
Ahmidi said she emailed Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada asking for help with her situation, but has not heard back.
“I’m so thankful for the government of Canada that kept my life safe and I hope they help my family to reunite us, and also they could join with me because if I can not join with them, I’m sure that I can not continue my life,” she said.
“I need to be with my family because they need me. I was the only one that was supporting them and now there is not anyone to help them.”
With files from CTV National News reporter Heather Butts
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
Hundreds of love letters from decades past are up for grabs, offering a peek into days when pen and ink were conveyors of connection when miles apart.
Few people can say they accidentally purchased a nude beach — but Shelley can. When she saw a piece of land she could fondly remember camping on was up for sale, she inquired about it and ended up purchasing it. She soon found that there were already inhabitants on it.
The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are both one win away from advancing to the Stanley Cup final.
As weight-loss plans go, it's easy to see the allure of intermittent fasting: Eat what you want, but only during certain windows of time — often just eight hours a day.
A daughter of actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt filed paperwork to legally remove "Pitt" from her name on the day she turned 18.
A Mennonite father who killed his one-year-old son with an axe may be allowed to travel to parts of southern Ontario in the coming months
Tick season is well underway and there is a new species of ticks causing new diseases, which is why you need to take steps to protect yourself.
Canada is getting not one – but two – celestial shows over the next few days. Keep an eye on the sky for the northern lights and parade of planets!
A hefty donation by a renowned local activist to the University of Winnipeg has created what is believed to be the most comprehensive two-spirit archives in all of Canada.
Leanne Van Bergen discovered a skulk of 10 baby foxes, and two mothers, had made themselves at home on her property in Beausejour.
An 81-year-old Waterloo, Ont. woman thought she’d never ride a horse again after a brain bleed led to severe physical complications.
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.
Prince Edward Island is celebrating its first-ever International Day of Potato on Thursday.
The president of Covered Bridge Chips in New Brunswick is hoping to have his factory rebuilt for late 2025 following a devastating fire last year.
Students and staff at Winnipeg’s Westwood Collegiate had a unique problem to solve this month; how do you lead ducks to water from the school’s courtyard when 12 of them can’t fly yet?
Debby Lorinczy remembers her father as an amazing person and as a man who also made an amazing discovery.
Abigail Strate is a member of the Canadian national ski jumping team and an Olympic bronze medallist. She's also a certified beekeeper.