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The ICLMG read the following statement today at a press conference on Parliament Hill.ICLMG 10/12/2015 - Last August 2015, the federal government launched deportation proceedings against Mohamed Harkat, 20 years after he first arrived to Canada and claimed the refugee status. Mohamed Harkat was arrested on December 10, 2002 under a security certificate, and since he has been in a legal limbo. He stayed three years in jail, and after he was released, he was subjected to the strictest conditions of house arrest. This deportation decision would be the first step towards the removal of Mohamed Harkat from his peaceful life in Canada to torture and very likely disappearance and execution. The Supreme Court has ruled in the  past that terror suspects can only be deported in "exceptional circumstances" to countries where they face a substantial risk of torture. According to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, grave violations of human rights are still common in Algeria. Can Canada really accept in good conscience the diplomatic assurances that would be given to deport Mohamed Harkat to Algeria? We do not believe it can. Today, we ask the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, to immediately stop the deportation procedures against Mohamed Harkat. We add: Does this government want to be remembered for sending a refugee back to torture or execution? ICLMG believes that Mohamed Harkat should be allowed to stay in Canada with his wife. After more than a decade of legal fights, secrecy, physical and emotional distress, it is time to give Mohamed his rights and his life back. Read moreVersion française: L'expulsion de Mohamed Harkat doit être annulée immédiatementHarkat calls on Liberal government to cancel his deportationMohamed Harkat risque d'être maltraité s'il est renvoyé en Algérie, dit Amnistie
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The Globe and Mail 09/12/2015 - The aftermath of any major terrorist attack such as the recent tragedy in Paris appears to predictably include a call for new privacy-invasive policies that restrict freedom. After the attacks on 9/11, it was the passing of the USA PATRIOT Act; after the 2014 attack on Parliament Hill, it was the passing of Bill C-51. [...] The target is now the use of strong encryption. Before the Paris attacks, intelligence agencies and pro-surveillance politicians were already resisting the widespread adoption of encryption. A number of notable companies nonetheless enabled encryption  by default to protect the data on mobile devices such as cellphones and tablets. After Paris, this resistance has grown into an uproar, calling for regulations restricting the use of encryption, and the introduction of mandatory backdoors into encrypted communications - all in the name of protecting us from terrorism. [...] We stand to gain far more from strengthening encryption than we do by curtailing it. Repressive regulations introducing backdoors would only serve to hamper the implementation of strong security controls that are absolutely essential in the digital world. We must stand against any government measure that would compromise or weaken encryption. Encryption is critical to protecting a wide swath of information and a vital component of preserving our privacy and freedom. Read more - Lire plusTrevor Timm: How not to report on the encryption 'debate'Why Silicon Valley won't enlist in anti-terror fight |
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The Globe and Mail 10/12/2015 - [This week] Canada quietly disclosed in its annual Public Accounts report that it had paid $1.7-million to an Arab immigrant named Benamar Benatta - one of the first, and most egregious, victims of racial profiling after 9/11. [...] Mr. Benatta was being detained in the U.S. under the little-known "hold until cleared" rule implemented by then-attorney general John Ashcroft that allowed the government to detain immigrant suspects indefinitely until they were proven to be innocent of any ties to terrorism. In Mr. Benatta's case, he was cleared by the FBI a month after 9/11, but he continued to be held until a federal court ordered all charges dropped. The judge ultimately called the U.S. case against  Mr. Benatta a "sham," a "subterfuge" hiding the fact that he was detained and interrogated solely because of his religion and nationality. In 2006, Mr. Benatta was returned to Canada, where he was eventually granted asylum. He sued the Canadian government, claiming his illegal deportation to the U.S. was a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Canadian government finally settled the case. [...] I spoke with Mr. Benatta this week, and he said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his experiences in prison. "I was labelled a terrorist because I happened to be Muslim ... no question," he said. When I asked him about the racially charged rhetoric in the U.S. this week, he sighed and said: "I'm surprised to see this kind of hate speech getting such strong support ... After all the investigations about torture and everything else that went on in the U.S., I thought the public was having second thoughts about this kind of behaviour." Read more - Lire plusHow fear became the politician's weapon of choice"I want a world of peace": In exclusive interview UK labour head Jeremy Corbyn opposes bombing SyriaTrevor Timm: Obama's speech reminded Americans that the war with Isis is still illegalDefense contractors cite "benefits" of escalating conflicts in the Middle EastAsie centrale: Un terreau peu fertile pour les djihadistes |
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Autres nouvelles - More news
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Privacy
Vie privée
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That is the question that the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association and Peaceful Assembly is trying to answer in his next report. Mr. Maina Kiai organized an expert meeting in  Florence, Italy to reflect on that particular issue and suggest some answers. The International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group is the organization representing Canada. Read our National Coordinator Monia Mazigh's thoughts on the question. Read more - Lire plus
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Action
PM Trudeau: Call on the UAE to free Canadian citizen Salim Alaradi now!
ICLMG - Salim Alaradi, a Canadian citizen and father of 5 young children, has been detained without charge in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)  since August 2014. We are also worried that he was tortured. His health is deteriorating quickly as his family has informed us this week. Write to Prime Minister Trudeau to urge him to call on the UAE to free Salim Alaradi now!
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Action
Tell Prime Minister Trudeau to consult with Canadians now, while there's still time to undo C-51
OpenMedia - Prime Minister Trudeau has said C-51 is a top priority,1 but we must ensure Canadians are at the centre of the process. If we aren't consulted, we could miss our chance to fully repeal the dangerous powers in this bill. C-51 was rammed into law  without meaningful public consultation. Its unprecedented new spy powers are too far-reaching to address behind closed doors. Over 300,000 Canadians have spoken against the reckless, dangerous, and ineffective bill. If we don't act quickly, we'll lose our chance. ACT NOW: Tell Prime Minister Trudeau to launch a public consultation.
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Action
Let Khaled leave Egypt!
Free Khaled Al-Qazzaz - Write to your MP to ask them to urge the Egyptian authorities to remove the travel ban on Canadian resident Khaled  Al-Qazzaz so he can finally be free after being detained without charges for a year and a half and released since January 2015 but prevented from leaving the country.
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Report
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Report
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Action
Saudi Arabia: Stop the execution of juvenile activist Ali al-Nimr
Amnesty International - Two courts have upheld the death sentence against a Shi'a activist. He has exhausted his appeals and may be executed as soon as the King ratifies the sentence. Ali al-Nimr was sentenced to death on 27 May 2014 for offences he is alleged to have committed when he was 17 years old. The court seems to  have based its decision on "confessions" which Ali al-Nimr has said were extracted under torture and other ill-treatment and has refused to look into this allegation. When Ali al-Nimr was arrested in February 2012 he was not allowed to see his lawyer. He has said that GDI officers tortured him to make him sign a "confession". Read more and sign the petition now!
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Action
Signez la pétition pour libérer le blogueur saoudien Raif Badawi
 Amnistie internationale - Raif Badawi, prisonnier d'opinion en Arabie saoudite, risque la mort pour avoir offert un débat sur la liberté religieuse. Exigeons des autorités saoudiennes que les coups de fouet cessent immédiatement, que Raif soit libéré sans condition, et qu'il soit réuni avec sa famille réfugiée au Canada. Exigeons de cet État qu'il respecte ses obligations en matière de droits humains et qu'il abolisse la flagellation.  English petition
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Les opinions exprimées ne reflètent pas nécessairement les positions de la CSILC - The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the positions of ICLMG
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The News Digest is ICLMG's weekly publication of news articles, events, calls to action and much more regarding national security, anti-terrorism, and civil liberties. The ICLMG is a national coalition of 43 Canadian civil society organizations that was established in the aftermath of the September, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. +++
La revue de l'actualité est notre publication hebdomadaire de nouvelles, d'évènements, d'appels à l'action, et beaucoup plus, entourant la sécurité nationale, la lutte au terrorisme, et les libertés civiles. La CSILC est une coalition nationale de 43 organisations de la société civile canadienne qui a été créée suite aux attentats terroristes de septembre 2001 aux États-Unis.
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university's Human Rights Research and Education Centre and Centre for International Policy Studies, "Arar +10" reviewed the state of national security and human rights in Canada a decade after a public inquiry was established to investigate the rendition to Syria and torture of Canadian citizen Maher Arar. From a range of panels key recommendations emerged. The conference's recommendations are particularly timely as the new federal government prepares to introduce legal and other reforms reversing or revising national security and citizenship laws and practices.
promote and favour the interests of Canadian mining companies and to influence decisions over extractive projects and related policies. The trend of repression and deregulation in Canada to favour mining, oil, and gas projects is consistent with the model that the Canadian government promotes abroad. Concluding with a series of ideas and recommendations for discussion, the report seeks to spur debate and foster creative action to protect dissent in defence of land and the environment, and to question Canada's role in promoting the underlying economic development model that is putting communities at such a deadly disadvantage.
