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Torture
When we use torture, we become who we are fighting against
This essay is a response to Margaret Wente's troubling column "Can you ever argue about torture?" published in The Globe and Mail on February 1, 2013. The Globe and Mail declined to publish ICLMG's response.
ICLMG 04/02/2013 - Remembering history does not mean accepting the horrible acts and the violations of the rule of law and civil liberties
 perpetrated for a "good cause". Canada has ruined many lives in its involvement in the war on terror by adopting lax attitudes towards torture, using information obtained through torture, and abandoning individuals in countries where they were tortured because of erroneous information we provided. To this date, Canada still refuses to apologize and compensate the victims: Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati, Muayyed Nureddin, Benamar Benatta, and Abousfian Abdelrazik. Our cause, however good we think it might be, becomes morally bankrupt as soon as we use terrorizing and life shattering methods such as torture. We become who we are fighting against.
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Rendition to torture
Extraordinary rendition report finds more than 50 nations involved in global torture scheme
The Huffington Post 04/02/2013 - The U.S. counterterrorism practice known as extraordinary rendition, in which suspects were quietly moved to secret prisons abroad and often tortured, involved the participation of more than 50 nations, according to a new  report released Tuesday by the Open Society Foundations. The OSF report, which offers the first wholesale public accounting of the top-secret program, puts the number of governments that either hosted CIA "black sites," interrogated or tortured prisoners sent by the U.S., or otherwise collaborated in the program at 54. The report also identifies by name 136 prisoners who were at some point subjected to extraordinary rendition. The list of those nations includes a range of American allies (Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany) and familiar Middle Eastern partners in the messy fight against radical Islam (Jordan, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates). |
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Citizenship and immigration
Canada should not strip people, even terrorists, of citizenship
The Globe and Mail 06/02/2013 - The Canadian government should think long and hard about changes to the law that would allow Canadians to be stripped of their citizenship if  they go abroad to commit acts of terrorism, or acts of war against this country and its allies. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney floated such changes on Wednesday. The government is understandably embarrassed, as all Canadians should be, by allegations that our nationals were involved in recent terrorist acts in Algeria and Bulgaria. However, responding with knee-jerk legislation that would alter long-established rules of citizenship is a poor way to save face. To begin with, such measures would create an invidious distinction between Canadian-born criminal citizens, who could not be stripped of citizenship, and naturalized citizens who could. There would be two classes of punishment for similar crimes. |
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Border security
The Embassy 06/02/2013 -  Canadian and United States officials are facing continued delays in secretive talks to allow American law enforcement agents to cross the land border and pursue people onto Canadian soil, Embassy has learned. Read more |
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Anti-terror laws
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Courts of law and terrorism
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Criminalization of dissent
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Drones
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Guantanamo
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National security
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No-fly lists
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State secrets
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Surveillance, privacy and technology
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Terrorism
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Torture
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War on terror
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Miscellaneous
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About us
The ICLMG is a national coalition of forty Canadian civil society organizations that was established in the aftermath of the September, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. You will find in this News Digest news articles, events, calls to action and much more regarding national security, anti-terrorism, civil liberties and other issues related to the mandate and concerns of ICLMG and its member organizations. 
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Take action
"Hundred for Hassan" Campaign
Hassan will be put in prison if he does not pay his "creditor" - in this case, the Canadian government - $2,000 per month for the cost of his own surveillance. We invite you to be one of 100 people who care about due process and the presumption of innocence and oppose abusive extradition proceedings, by pledging $20 per month or more to share the cost of Dr. Diab's oppressive burden. This is our way of taking a public stand and saying, "This is just wrong."
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Take action
The Secret Trial 5 - donate to make the documentary a reality
Many Canadians view the so-called War on Terror as something distant, something far away. The reality is, it has struck much closer to home than most of us realize. There are men, women and families right here in Canada that have been caught in its web. Our film is about five such individuals, and five such families. Click below to watch an excerpt and share with your networks. |
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Event
Panel discussion
Your client has a profile: Security and secrecy in Canadian law
Friday, February 8, 5-7pm
McGill University Faculty of Law
3644 Peel Street, New Chancellor Day Hall, Room 312
Panelists:
- Mohamed Mahjoub, fighting against a security certificate since June 2000
- Adil Charkaoui, suing the government for six years of security certificate hell
- Patil Tutunjian, lawyer at Doyon & Associé who works on security certificate cases
- David Austin, community worker & educator, author of upcoming book on the state surveillance of black activists in Quebec
An update on the current state of security certificate legislation in Canada and on the cases of five recent security certificate detainees, as well as a broader look at national and state security and surveillance targeting communities of colour in Canada.
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Event
NCCAR presents:
An evening with Miko Peled: Can Israelis and Palestinians live together?
Tuesday, February 26th
7:30pm
St. Paul University Auditorium, 233 Main Street, Ottawa
$10 ($15 at door)
An optimistic assessment of one of the world's most intractable problems. Miko Peled, Israeli/American Jew, former Israeli soldier, son of a famous Israeli general, discusses his frank views in a courageous new book. The book will be available for sale and signing by Mr Peled. This event is endorsed by the Independent Jewish Voices and the Group of 78.
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Take action
Tell your MP to stand against Bill C-30 and warrantless online spying
OpenMedia.ca - The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police called on the government to revive the invasive Online Spying Bill C-30 - legislation that would grant them warrantless access into the private lives of each and every one of us. Call on your MP to stand against invasive warrantless Online Spying.
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briefing by officials from the Departments of Foreign Affairs and National Defence. It was instructive but possibly not in the way that the Harper government intended. Maj.-Gen. Jonathan Vance was asked, "What is Canada's military goal?" He replied that it was to support France. The follow-up question is, "What are France's goals?" France has a long history in the region dating back to the colonial era and has specific national interests that it is pursuing. If we are going to hitch our wagon to theirs let's hope that our goals are the same as theirs. Unfortunately, if we have no stated goals of our own, we are stuck with the sometimes competing and conflicting goals of others.
