 The Canadian government requested Celil's release and return to Canada, but the Uzbek government deported him to China, where he had already been convicted "in absentia" and could face the death penalty.Chris MacLeod, the Celil family's lawyer, criticized the Uzbek government for detaining a Canadian citizen without notifying his respective embassy, and called on the Canadian government to be more forceful in protecting the rights of its overseas citizens.After his extradition Celil went on trial in China again in August 2006 on charges of terrorism.