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Revue de l'actualit� - News Digest 
8 septembre 2016 - September 8th, 2016 
Editorials   

Monia Mazigh
American Involvement In Canadian Terror Cases Must Be Questioned

The Huffington Post 17/08/2016 - While watching last week's RCMP press conference in the aftermath of Aaron Driver's death, many questions invaded my mind but were left unanswered. The RCMP's narrative of the events that transpired was repeated over and over in the media with very little questioning. Mike Cabana -- the deputy commissioner of the RCMP who stood alongside his colleagues in the conference room at the RCMP headquarters, apparently nervous and uncomfortable answering some questions -- is the same Mike Cabana that was involved in the case of Maher Arar. In 2005, he was cross examined during the commission of inquiry related to the Arar case. During this inquiry it was revealed that Canada had shared information about Maher Arar with the U.S., ultimately leading to his deportation and torture in Syria. Mike Cabana was never found guilty of any wrongdoing. Instead, he was promoted to become the current deputy commissioner of the RCMP. This minor observation may appear irrelevant to Aaron Driver's case, but in my humble opinion, it is crucial for understanding how Canadian security institutions perpetuate a lack of accountability.

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Monia Mazigh
Trudeau Needs To Act And Secure Homa Hoodfar's Return To Canada

The Huffington Post 30/08/2016 - It seems that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau likes to describe himself as a feminist. He might be right but he might also fail to be what he really wants to be known for. One thing we can say for sure is that so far he was not able to "save" Professor Homa Hoodfar from Iran and bring her back to Canada. Professor Homa Hoodfar is one of the most renowned academics who wrote extensively and ardently defended women's choices. She lived and taught for over 30 years in Canada. Now, her life and fate are in danger. Today, it was reported in the media that Professor Homa Hoodfar has been hospitalized. This is a shock but it wasn't unexpected. We knew when she was arrested last June in Tehran's Evin prison that she was already frail and suffered from several health issues. We also knew what happened years ago to Zahra Kazemi, the Canadian-Iranian photographer, when she was arrested, beaten and later declared dead in that same prison. In general, Canada has tremendous issues with its Canadians who have been detained abroad for political reasons. So far, only one description can fit the official Canadian position: "put our head in the sand until a big thing happens."

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Jailed Canadian prof in Iran can 'hardly walk or talk,' say relatives
Canadians detained abroad
Canadien.nes d�tenu.es � l'�tranger

'A dream come true': Khaled Al-Qazzaz stuck in Egypt since 2013 arrest finally home

CBC 01/09/2016 - A Toronto-area man detained in Egypt for nearly two years after that country's former leader Mohammed Morsi was ousted by military forces has quietly returned to Canada. A permanent resident of Canada and a father of four, Khaled Al-Qazzaz was reunited with his family in Mississauga, Ont. on August 14, his brother-in-law Ahmad Attia told CBC News on Thursday.  Qazzaz, who was an aide to Morsi, was released from custody early last year but was barred from leaving Egypt until just weeks ago. "Khaled has been reunited with wife Sarah and the children ... Our family has been overwhelmed with joy to finally bring this ordeal to an end," Attia said in an email. "For three years our family and supporters across Canada and internationally have advocated for Khaled's freedom and the family's return home. It wasn't easy but we never gave up. When we found out he was coming home it was a dream come true."

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ICLMG is happy to meet Salim Alaradi in Canada

ICLMG 15/08/2016 - Last summer, almost a year ago, I sat down with Marwa Alaradi at the boardroom of the ICLMG. Her sister, Nour, other members of her family and some friends accompanied her. Marwa Alaradi, could have been my daughter, she was 18 years old, smart and eloquent. I felt my heart aching listening to her story. Another tragic story of another Canadian detained abroad. Salim Alaradi, a Canadian businessman of Libyan descent, was arrested by the Emirati state security agents, while vacationing with his family in Dubai. He was taken in front of his wife at the lobby of their hotel to never be seen again. Marwa Alaradi, as the eldest child of the family, felt the need to stand by her mother and to speak on behalf of her father. And she did it extremely well. ICLMG immediately decided to take the case and started by speaking to the media, creating awareness but also putting pressure on the government. [...] Yesterday, joined with Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International, I met Salim Alaradi as well as Marwa, Nour and his son Mohamed. They were all smiling, ready to start new beginnings. Nevertheless, accountability, investigation of torture and lessons learned remain valid and crucial points to be addressed. Last but not least, Canada shouldn't forget to adopt sooner than later, a policy to help its citizens detained abroad. Leaving it up to the hard work of a family or to the good will of some politicians would never replace a clear, strong and coherent policy applied for all Canadians when they needed the most.

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Privacy
Vie priv�e   

Your Texts Are Not Private, Ontario Court Rules

Vice 16/08/2016 - The majority ruling holds that text messages are like emails or letters, and as such are much easier to obtain for use in court. Judge H.S. LaForme, the dissenting opinion in the Marakah case, disagreed, stating that "a typical exchange of text messages is a private communication between two people. It is essentially a modern version of a conversation and can contain as much private information as an oral conversation." This means a wiretap would be needed to use the messages in court, LaForme argued. [...] In April, Laura Berger, the acting director of the public safety program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, offered a similar view, noting that, "For an increasing percentage of Canadians, especially younger people, text messages are supplanting voice telephone calls. We need to ensure that privacy protections in place [for phone conversations] are not diluted because of changes in technology." This decision contravenes one made by the British Columbia Court of Appeal in 2015. In that case, judges determined that the accused, who attempted to sell cocaine to someone over text who had their phone seized by police, had their privacy breached, as it would be reasonable for them to think their text messages would remain private with the recipient.

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Federal spies suddenly intercepting 26 times more Canadian phone calls and communications

Surveillance and technology
Surveillance et technologie 


Motherboard 22/08/2016 - Police in Ontario's biggest cities have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to deploy unspecified surveillance equipment as part of an obscure provincial program. The problem is, no one knows exactly what they're buying with all that money. Police in Toronto, Ottawa, and the municipalities of Peel and York (near Toronto) have received hundreds of thousands of dollars each to pay for the Provincial Electronic Surveillance Equipment Deployment Program (PESEDP). This little-known project is described by police as "funding for the purchase of, or improvements to, equipment used in the investigation of organized crime", which doesn't reveal much. Mentions of the program can be found in publicly-available meeting agendas and reports dating back to 2011. [...] Tamir Israel, staff lawyer at the University of Ottawa's Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, says that the PESEDP money could be spent in a number of ways. "Police services are investing in a range of new surveillance technologies, from license-plate recognition devices, to facial recognition or IMSI catchers," Israel told me over the phone.

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Vancouver police admit to having used mass-surveillance device StingRay

Edmonton Police Admit to Owning Stingray Surveillance Device

Leaked catalogue reveals a vast array of military spy gear offered to US police
Charities and political activity
Organismes de bienfaisance et politique 

Editorial: Like unions and political parties, charities deserve freedom of speech 

Globe and Mail 06/09/2016 - Our government provides some level of preferential tax treatment to all kinds of politically active organizations, not least political parties themselves. Labour unions, which are nominally about negotiating contracts, are not shy about using their freedom of speech to influence the partisan sphere. Register as a charity, however, and there is a dense web of rules governing what you can and can't do. For example, a charity can commission research recommending a legislative change, take out an ad, stage a march on Parliament Hill and hand out placards. But it must also strictly limit how much it "explicitly communicates to the public that a law, policy or decision of any level of government inside or outside Canada should be retained, opposed, or changed." Some political activism is allowed, just not too much. The line is mostly a matter of bureaucratic discretion. [...] Charities shouldn't become vehicles for electing or defeating governments; that's not their role. But they are no longer a unique creature, entirely separate from other non-profit social institutions that can speak their minds. Ottawa should drop the audits and modernize its outdated laws. Free speech should apply to all. 
Torture 

Gerald Caplan: Liberal government needs to address Canada's military actions in Afghanistan

The Globe and Mail 11/08/2016 - "And us in Afghanistan," Craig Scott reminded me pointedly, responding to my recent column calling George W. Bush and Tony Blair war criminals. Don't forget Canada's shameful actions in Afghanistan, he was saying, when our own troops turned over captured Afghans to be tortured by others. [...] While the Liberals were in Opposition, he points out, the House of Commons adopted a resolution directing the government to convene a commission of inquiry into the torture of detainees in Afghanistan transferred by Canada to Afghans and Americans. It was a high-profile issue a decade ago and the Liberals joined the majority in supporting the resolution. But prime minister Stephen Harper refused a commission and the Liberal government has now followed suit. Yet this remains a major issue for our time. For a government to send our troops into harm's way is one thing. But in Afghanistan, Canadian soldiers handed over captured Afghans to Afghan allies knowing that they would likely be tortured. Sometimes Afghan prisoners were transferred to American agents who might well have tortured them directly. That is something qualitatively different. That is a war crime.

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Entrapment
Pi�geage   

Matthew Behrens: B.C. Court finds RCMP organized terrorist plot

rabble.ca 31/08/2016 - While Bruce's decision runs into the hundreds of pages, it is nonetheless an incredibly valuable primer on how the RCMP has always operated -- without regard for the very laws it is supposed to enforce -- and without a care for the human rights of those it targets. The decision reveals an organization that, despite numerous judicial inquiries recommending significant changes when it comes to state security investigations, remains wedded to the same old ways in which anything goes. Clearly, Canada's iconic horsemen expect that they will be protected by a culture of impunity. Indeed, none of the Mounties who coerced, browbeat and threatened Nuttall and Korody have been charged with an offence, even though they led the two hapless individuals to believe that they would be killed if they did not go along with the RCMP-led plot to plant pressure cookers on the lawn of the B.C. legislature. Here is a detailed summary of the case and the decision.

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Autres nouvelles - More news
Counter-radicalization programs
Programmes contre la radicalisation 
Criminalisation de la dissidence
Criminalization of dissent 
Drones
Freedom of speech
Libert� d'expression 
Guantanamo 
"Guerre au terrorisme"
"War on terror"
Islamophobie  
Islamophobia
Migrant and refugee rights   
Droits des migrant.es et r�fugi�.es 
Surveillance and privacy 
Surveillance et vie priv�e 
Miscellaneous
Divers
CETTE SEMAINE / THIS WEEK
 
ICLMG is hiring!   


The ICLMG is looking for a new National Coordinator.
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Application deadline: September 23, 2016 at midnight EST
Starting date: On or before November 15, 2016
 
Please share widely!

Press release   

ICLMG deeply concerned by the refusal of Canadian officials to issue visas
for many WSF participants   

ICLMG 09/08/2016 - "Inflated security reasons, or bureaucratic reasons should not be used to censor dissident voices to come and attend the WSF. This is a forum about ideas and
intellectual exchanges. All the invited participants have the right to attend and Canadian immigration officials should be helping them to attend and not denying them entry to Canada," says Monia Mazigh.



Free Homa Hoodfar -
1. Send a Letter to the Canadian Authorities
2. Send a Letter to the Irish Authorities
3. Send a Letter to the Iranian Authorities
4. Get Involved on Social Media
5. Change Your Profile Picture



Stephen Harper may not be Prime Minister, but his dangerous spy bill is still law. Bill C-51 weakens the fundamental freedoms of every single Canadian and threatens our open society with an atmosphere of fear. The Liberals promised to put an end to the politics of fear and division. It's time for them to take action to repeal Harper's Bill and protect our personal liberties.



ICLMG - Canada's numerous national security agencies - including CSEC, CSIS, the RCMP and CBSA - have inadequate or simply no oversight or review mechanisms. This has led to human rights violations such as the rendition to torture of Canadiancitizens Maher Arar,
Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El-Maati and Muayyed Nurredin, among others. In 2006, Justice O'Connor concluded the Arar Commission with several recommendations to prevent such atrocities from happening again: Canadian national security agencies must be subjected to robust, integrated and comprehensive oversight and review. Years have passed and the federal government has yet to implement the recommendations.


NCCM - Hate crimes against Muslims have risen dramatically in recent years both in Canada, and around the world.  Given the unfortunate climate of fear that seems to have entered some segments of public life, it appears that this trend is increasing. Sign the Charter for Inclusive Communities and against Islamophobia.



Amnistie internationale - Je vous enjoins de tenir compte de l'appel du Comit� des droits de l'homme des Nations Unies et de vous assurer que : la d�tention par les services d'immigration soit utilis�e comme une mesure de dernier recours; le Canada fixe une limite raisonnable � la dur�e de la d�tention par les services d'immigration; le Canada fournisse de v�ritables alternatives � la d�tention pour des fins d'immigration.



House of Commons petition - Call upon the Government of Canada to urge Honduran authorities to:
1. Agree to an investigation into Ms. C�ceres' murder;
2. Fully implement IACHR precautionary measures for the C�ceres family and COPINH;
3. Demilitarize Lenca territory;
4. Cancel the Energy Development Company's (DESA) Agua Zarca hydroelectric project granted without the Lenca peoples' free, prior and informed consent;
5. Finally, we urge that an investigation take place into the Canadian government's role in Honduras during and since the 2009 coup.


Action   

Free Huseyin Celil   

Amnesty International - Huseyin has been in prison for 10 years after an unfair trial. Take action now to ensure that Huseyin is not subject to another 10 years of unfair treatment.



Amnistie internationale - En juillet 2014, l'avocat sp�cialiste des droits humains Waleed Abu Al Khair a �t� condamn� � 15 ans d'emprisonnement apr�s des ann�es de harc�lement, d'arrestations, de menaces et de proc�s. Au travers de ses activit�s professionnelles, cet homme d�non�ait les atteintes aux droits humains en Arabie saoudite. Waleed Abu Al Khair repr�sente bon nombre de militants pacifiques, y compris son beau-fr�re Raif Badawi, blogueur emprisonn� et condamn� � 1 000 coups de fouet.



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.