Another passionate and moving account from Homes Not Bombs' Matthew Behrens detailing how the Canadian security state is determined to intimidate those who bravely speak out against racial injustice in Canada. at the same time, these anti-terrorist Canadian cops ignore hardcore war criminals like Northrup Grumman who quietly produce and sell to the U.S. anti-tank shells tipped with depleted uranium. Read Matthew's report HERE:

It was originally published at http:/www.homesnotbombs.ca but has been re-printed on our Web site with permission.

Original author: Alex Neve & Michel Frenette
URL: [link]
Date: March 31, 2004

OPEN LETTER FROM AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CANADA TO ANNE MCLELLAN ABOUT SECURITY CERTIFICATES

The Honourable Anne McLellan,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
340 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0P8
By fax: 990-9077

March 31, 2004

Dear Deputy Prime Minister McLellan,

We are writing this open letter to you to underscore Amnesty International's serious concerns with respect to the security certificate provisions that have been part of Canada's immigration legislation for a number of years.

Over the past several years Amnesty International has, on numerous occasions, written to the Canadian government, highlighting individual cases in which we considered that the security certificate process was resulting in violations of a number of fundamental human rights. We are aware of at least six individuals who are currently being held pursuant to security certificates. These individuals have been in detention for an extended period now, close to four years in one case.

We repeat Amnesty International's concerns below and urge that you take immediate steps to reform the security certificate process to bring it into full compliance with Canada's international human rights obligations.

[ Read the rest ... ]

Source: The Campaign To Stop Secret Trials In Canada Date: April 1, 2004 Minister of Public Safety and Secret Trials Refuses to Meet with Families of Secret Trial Detainees McLellan Slams the Door on Five Families Seven Months After Prime Minister's Office Refused A Similar Request to Meet Toronto Families Will Demonstrate Saturday, April 3 at Metro West Detention Centre to Demand Bail, not Jail

PRESS RELEASE 1 April, Ottawa - Anne McLellan, Minister of Public Safety, refused today to meet families of five Muslim men who are detained without charge, on the basis of secret evidence, in Canadian prisons. The families had come from Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto in the hope of meeting with her. Instead they were told that no one from the Minister's office would be available to meet with them.

[ Read the rest ... ]

Original author: Debora Bourque, National President
of Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)
Source: Coalition Justice pour Adil Charakoui
Date: March 24, 2004


March 24, 2004

FAX: 992-4284
E-mail: [email]

Right Honourable Paul Martin Prime Minister of Canada House
of Commons Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

Dear Mr. Prime Minister:

On behalf of the 55,000 members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, I am writing to express our deep concern over the imprisonment of Adil Charkaoui and four other Muslim men - Mohammad Mahjoub, Mahmoud Jaballah, Hassan Almrei and Mohamed Harkat. All five men have been imprisoned for months and even years without charge, on the basis of evidence that neither they nor their lawyers are allowed to see. They face deportation to their countries of origin where, according to Amnesty International, it is probable that they will suffer further violations of their rights, such as torture - just like Maher Arar.

The security certificate procedure violates the fundamental rules of justice and constitutes an unacceptable attack on rights and freedoms, which include the right to a full defence and a fair and just trial.

CUPW is completely opposed to sacrificing rights and freedoms in the name of national security. If intelligence services have a case against these men, they should lay formal charges so that the five have access to a just and fair trial, including complete access to information being used against them, which they required to prepare a full defence.

CUPW strongly urges you to take immediate and effective action to ensure that these five men are immediately released or formally charged, security certificates are abolished and deportations to countries where torture is used are ended.

Sincerely,

Deborah Bourque, National President.


CC: Judy Sgro, Minister of Immigration
(fax 947-8319 - e-mail: Sgro.J @parl.gc.ca)

Ken Georgetti, President, CLC

National Executive Committee,
National Union Representatives and Specialists, CUPW

by Stephen Humphrey Source: Toronto NOW URL: [link] Date: March 11, 2004 If these Muslims are terrorists, why are they not being tried under 9/11 bill?

For those trying to follow the effects of post-9/11 security crackdowns, the trail through Toronto courts over the last number of months is sure to confuse. This week in another of the seemingly endless series of hearings, Mahmoud Jaballah, one of five Muslim immigrants held in the Metro West Detention Centre without charges under suspicion of terrorist involvement, was denied bail. In a strange turn of events, however, these security cases are being heard not under the much-criticized anti-terrorism Bill C-36, with its sweeping powers of investigation and arrest, but under the immigration security certificate procedure. Critics charge that this process, part of the CSIS apparatus, is a blank cheque for arrest without warrant, open-ended detention and secretive proceedings. And, ironically, many of those who have criticized C-36 say that, scary as it may be, that legislation at least contains such rudiments of due process as specific charges, disclosure of evidence and cross-examination.



[ Read the rest ... ]

Included below are two letters that were recently sent to Anne McLellan regarding the injustice of security certificates and the secret trials that come of them. One was written by me (Brian O'Connor). I borrowed heavily from Matthew Behren's sample letter. The other is an email written by Linda Belanger. Please consider writing to Ms. McLellan yourself. ========================== Date: February 6, 2004 Dear Ms. McLellan, I am sending you four pens which do not work (enclosed) so that the next time CSIS comes to you to sign a secret trial security certificate, you won't have the ink to do so. As a result of the issuing of security certificates there are now six individuals (five of them Muslim men) who have been detained in Canada without charge or bail. One man has been held in solitary confinement for 27 full months. Four of these men are married, and among them are 11 children who are separated by thick concrete and steel bars from their fathers.

[ Read the rest ... ]

Source: Canadian Press (CP) URL: [link] Date: February 10, 2004 RCMP spies, other intelligence agencies need better oversight, report explains

OTTAWA (CP) - The government must fill gaps in the patchwork of watchdog agencies keeping an eye on Canada's spies, the auditor general says. There should be "more consistency in the extent of independent review" of the intrusive powers of federal intelligence services, Sheila Fraser said in her report today. She added her voice to the chorus calling for more scrutiny of the RCMP's security activities, noting the complaints commission currently overseeing the Mounties does "very limited" review of intelligence-related cases.

[ Read the rest ... ]

The Canadian Council for Refugees has issued a press release expressing alarm at changes to the security certificate process. Read the press release here: [link] En francais ici: [link]

Original author: unknown
Source: Canadian Council for Refugees Listserv
Date: January 8, 2004

To: ICLMG members and friends

Below are the orders in council by which certain parts of CIC are transferred to the new Border Agency and the responsibility for decisions relating to those aspects to Anne McLellan (Solicitor General, styled Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness). This means that decisions on enforcement related matters (e.g. decisions on countries with a temporary stay of removals) are made by Anne McLellan, not Judy Sgro.

One of the effects of this is that the security certificate used to be signed by 2 Ministers (Citizenship and Immigration and Solicitor General, IRPA 77(1)), but it now seems that only one Minister will sign it, since the 2 roles are combined.


[ Read the rest ... ]

Original author: unknown
Source: Justice for Adil Charkaoui Listserv
URL: [link]
Date: December 21 2003


These days we are being told that we must chose between "our" security and "our" rights. But what is security without rights? If we are not securing our rights, what are we securing? And how can "we" have security if some are denied their rights? Whose security are we being asked to protect and whose are we being asked to deny?

Please consider signing on to the statement below, demanding a fair and just trial for Adil Charkaoui and the other refugees and immigrants held under Security Certificates. OUR rights and OUR security are at stake.

[ Read the rest ... ]