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Revue de l'actualit� - News Digest 
21 janvier 2016 - January 21st, 2016 
Canadians detained abroad  
Canadiens d�tenus � l'�tranger 

�ditorial par Monia Mazigh 
Canadiens d�tenus � l'�tranger : et maintenant que faire?

CSILC 20/01/2016 - Un jour, mon mari a disparu � l'�tranger et je ne savais pas quoi faire. Appeler le minist�re des Affaires �trang�res? Appelez la police? Appelez l'ambassade du Canada? Appeler un avocat? Appelez les journalistes? Appelez les organisations de d�fense des droits de la personne? Appelez les politiciens? Le niveau d'anxi�t�, de d�tresse et le manque de soutien �taient �normes. Depuis 2002, je me suis familiaris�e avec les  histoires de plusieurs Canadiens et leurs familles qui ont travers� ces phases �motionnelles, logistiques et politiques. Les �chanceux� sont revenus au Canada sains et saufs, et ils ont �t� en mesure de retrouver une sorte de normalit�. Leur r�silience �tait leur meilleur alli� afin de ravoir leurs vies vol�es. Malheureusement, pour beaucoup d'autres, ils sont toujours d�tenus � l'�tranger, d�sempar�s, dans de mauvaises conditions de sant�, maltrait�s, menac�s par l'incertitude et/ou l'arbitraire qui entoure leur d�tention. [...] Il est temps pour le Canada d'adopter une strat�gie claire, compl�te et efficace pour aider ses citoyens d�tenus � l'�tranger afin que personne ne soit laiss� seul face � l'arbitraire et l'injustice.

Lire plus

English version: Editorial by Monia Mazigh: Canadians detained abroad: and now what to do?
Torture

Liberals to review Tory policy allowing info sharing even when it might lead to torture: Goodale    

The Canadian Press 19/01/2016 - The Trudeau Liberals will review controversial directives enacted by the Harper government that allow for the sharing of information even when it might lead to torture, says the public safety minister. The "troubling set of issues" raised by the foreign information-sharing policy "will be raised in the course of our consultations" on the overall national security direction of the new government, Ralph Goodale said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. The news follows pressure from human-rights and privacy advocates to conduct a wide-ranging examination of security policies introduced by the Conservatives, whisked from office in the October election.

Read more

Risque de torture : les lib�raux vont revoir la politique de partage de renseignements
Liste d'interdiction de vol 
No-Fly list 

Shireen Ahmed: Why are my kids on the no-fly list?     

The National Post 18/01/2016 - The first time I was unable to check-in online for a domestic flight, I assumed it was because I had a baby. Perhaps it was the amount of luggage, or the stroller I used to facilitate travel with my four children, all under the age of seven, to our cottage in Prince Edward Island. When I arrived at Toronto's Pearson airport, the agent asked me to identify two males in my party. I pointed to my 15-month-old, who was slobbering over a pear, and my seven-year-old, who was playing with Lego figurines, and her mouth dropped. She proceeded to make a few calls. I didn't listen because I was making sure my kids didn't sit on the luggage scale (flying with children is so much fun!). When I travel, I am prepared to be selected for "random extra security checks," as I have brown skin and wear a hijab. But I didn't have a clue that my second-generation Canadian children might be flagged as security risks. The idea did not occur to me because it was completely nonsensical. A senior agent came by shortly thereafter and proceeded to enter information into the computer and make more phone calls. My patience was wearing thin. He hurriedly explained that there was an issue with one of my children. Eventually, we were escorted through security to the gate and settled into our seats. I didn't think much of it. It had only taken an extra 40 or 50 minutes and we had arrived at the airport three hours early. Yet the actual issue would take over eight years to resolve.

Read more - Lire plus

How a young American escaped the no-fly list
Anti-terror legislation 
L�gislation anti-terroriste 

Bill C-51: We don't have to choose between security and civil liberties

The Huffington Post 20/01/2016 - There's no shortage of issues for the new government to address right now, from climate change to the rise of ISIS/ISIL (or as they don't like to be called, Daesh), to pressing indigenous issues and a commitment to 25,000 Syrians refugees. But as Canadians openly welcome Syrians, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau personally tells them "you are home," we owe it to them to revisit a piece of legislation that targets them as Muslims, as well as other groups like indigenous people, environmentalists, or anyone who creates art that explores terrorism or criticizes the government of the day.[...] The Liberal government has committed to rewrite what they describe as "problematic elements" of Bill C-51 and introduce new legislation that strengthens accountability in regards to national security, balancing this with rights and freedoms. Amnesty International Canada and the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group recently issued a report urging the new government to go further. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says the government is open to an expansive revamp of national security legislation, and they will give Canadians a chance to have their say before making a decision. This is our chance. Let's show the government that we don't have to choose between security and human rights and civil liberties. While it may be a campaign tactic, fear is not a policy. And it's also not a Canadian value.

Read more

ICLMG's reminder of why amendments are insufficient and Bill C-51 needs to be repealed
Drones  

Canada wants drones to bomb terrorists, track pirates, and spy on protesters

Vice News 19/01/2016 - The Canadian Air Force is moving ahead with its weaponized drone program, and it's hoping to find a model that's good for everything from blowing up enemy convoys to helping drowning sailors. The government published the call-out to the defense industry on Friday, asking military contractors to spell out how they would build a Canadian drone fleet. The Joint Unmanned Surveillance and Target Acquisition System (JUSTAS), after years of trying to acquire non-weaponized drones, is now searching for a single type of unmanned aerial vehicle to do many different things, including dropping bombs. The Royal Canadian Air Force is hoping to get as many as 12 drones, and wants them to be a veritable Swiss Army knife - able to run top-of-the-line surveillance, but also capable of dropping precision missiles. [...] In another scenario, the air force tasks the drone - almost certainly, without any sort of weapons onboard - to do fly-overs of a G20 summit near Quebec City. [...] The last time Canada hosted a G20 summit, police and intelligence tactics netted a flurry of complaints from civil liberties groups - and that was before they had drones. [...] From a privacy standpoint, concerns have already been raised about the data that the drones can collect. "There is a strong argument that UAVs may be a surveillance game-changer," wrote the Office of the Privacy Commission of Canada in a 2013 report. [...] The request for proposals makes no mention of any privacy protections that should be included with the drones.

Read more - Lire plus

Is "near certainty" certain enough?

More Air Force drones are crashing than ever as mysterious new problems emerge
Surveillance et vie priv�e  
Surveillance and privacy 

Top European court to snooping governments: Mass surveillance needs judicial oversight

Ars technica UK 14/01/2016 -  The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Hungary's anti-terrorism legislation infringes on the human rights of citizens there. The court was "not convinced that the legislation in question provided sufficient safeguards to avoid abuse." For example, it was concerned that "the scope of the measures could include virtually anyone in Hungary, with new technologies enabling the Government to intercept masses of data easily concerning even persons outside the original range of operation." It was particularly worried by the oversight system-or rather the lack of it: surveillance was being carried out purely on the say-so of the government, and "without an assessment of whether interception of communications was strictly necessary and without any effective remedial measures, let alone judicial ones, being in place," the Court said. As a result, the ECHR concluded that there had been a violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the "right to respect for private and family life, the home and correspondence." The case was brought by two Hungarian nationals who worked for a non-governmental watchdog organisation. Hungary's Constitutional Court, which considered the complaint initially, agreed that everyone using communication systems there was inevitably affected by the country's surveillance law, without requiring the complainants to prove that they had been directly impacted. That was an important recognition, because it meant that the ECHR could consider whether their human rights had been infringed as a result.

Read more - Lire plus

Canada's military plans to monitor the world's social media

The White House asked social media companies to look for terrorists. Here's why they'd #fail

TPP continues attack on privacy with restrictions on data localization requirements

U.S. lawmakers delay bill on European data privacy deal

The secret surveillance catalogue
 
Autres nouvelles - More news
Anti-terrorism legislation
L�gislation anti-terroriste    
Charities & political activities
Organismes de bienfaisance & politique 
Criminalisation de la dissidence
Criminalization of dissent  
Freedom of expression
Libert� d'expression 
Guantanamo 
"Guerre au terrorisme"
"War on terror"
Information-sharing and privacy  
Partage d'information et vie priv�e 

S�curit� : l'UE veut un partage d'informations sur les ant�c�dents judiciaires des non-Europ�ens
Terrorism
Terrorisme
Terrorism cases
Proc�s pour terrorisme
Miscellaneous
Divers
CETTE SEMAINE / THIS WEEK
 
Action   

Tell your MP:
"I demand a real, open consultation that will let us Kill C-51"   

OpenMedia - Right now, the government is deciding how to deal with C-51 and its irresponsible spying powers. If we don't act ASAP, there's a huge chance decision-makers will side with pro-surveillance forces and sacrifice our Charter rights once and for all. But, if we can get a real, open consultation on C-51, people like you will ensure the government finally has to kill the bill's dangerous powers. Parliament resumes on Monday, which means they're deciding now. Message your MP today, and make sure we get the real, open consultation we deserve to kill C-51 for good.

Special event   

The consequences of Bill C-51 for civil liberties and free speech in Canada 

The ICLMG and the Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University are happy to invite you to this public event in Toronto.



Speakers: Our National Coordinator Monia Mazigh and John Ralston Saul, the award winning novelist and essayist, author of The Comeback and A Fair Country. President Emeritus of PEN International and Co-Chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship.

Moderator: James L. Turk

Location: Room 103, Rogers Communications Centre, Ryerson University, Toronto

Time: 7:30 - 9:00 pm

Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Webpage

RSVP and invite your friends to the Facebook event
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!


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.


Report


Critical areas where the Canadian government needs to demonstrate commitment to upholding human rights in national security policies and activities were outlined today in a report on the anniversary of the October 2014 "Arar +10" conference. Convened at the University of Ottawa on October 29, 2014 by Amnesty International and the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, along with the 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.

Report


ICLMG & MiningWatch Canada - In summary, the report observes that it is becoming ever more dangerous and difficult for affected communities and organizations who are fighting for Indigenous rights, self-determination and environmental justice in the Americas to speak out and do their work. As this situation worsens, the Canadian government has increasingly dedicated its diplomatic services, aid budget, and trade and investment policy to 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.

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!


Action   

Signez la p�tition pour lib�rer le blogueur saoudien Raif Badawi  



Amnistie internationale - Raif Badawi, prisonnier d'opinion en Arabie saoudite, risque la mort pour avoir offert un d�bat sur la libert� religieuse.
Exigeons des autorit�s saoudiennes que les coups de fouet cessent imm�diatement, que Raif soit lib�r� sans condition, et qu'il soit r�uni avec sa famille r�fugi�e au Canada.
Exigeons de cet �tat qu'il respecte ses obligations en mati�re de droits humains et qu'il abolisse la flagellation.



English petition

Les opinions exprim�es ne refl�tent pas n�cessairement les positions de la CSILC - The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the positions of ICLMG

What is the News Digest? Qu'est-ce que la Revue de l'actualit�?

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.
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La revue de l'actualit� est notre publication hebdomadaire de nouvelles, d'�v�nements, d'appels � l'action, et beaucoup plus, entourant la s�curit� nationale, la lutte au terrorisme, et les libert�s civiles. La CSILC est une coalition nationale de 43 organisations de la soci�t� civile canadienne qui a �t� cr��e suite aux attentats terroristes de septembre 2001 aux �tats-Unis.