Labour, civil liberties and human rights organizations demand release of security certificate detainees Mahjoub, Jaballah and Harkat
PUBLIC STATEMENT
December 10th, 2010 - On the 10th year anniversary of Mohamad Harkat’s arrest, as Mohammad Mahjoub goes in to a detention hearing to yet again have his conditions of release removed, and as Mahmoud Jaballah prepares to file an abuse of process motion for his lengthy incarceration, we, the organizations listed below, call upon the Ministers of Citizenship and Immigration and Public Safety to immediately free all three men, and to take immediate steps to hold accountable the officials and laws responsible for their decade-long ordeal.
Today, on International Human Rights Day 2012, we yet again urge Canada to uphold its obligations under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention against Torture, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and act immediately to free these three men.
All three have had their confidential conversations with their lawyers illegally monitored; information likely obtained through torture used against them; key evidence in their files destroyed; information and even allegations brought against them in secret or disclosed years after their arrest; and favourable evidence systematically withheld.
They have been detained arbitrarily and indefinitely, have been subjected to lengthy periods in isolation, and threatened with deportation to situations in which they would be at risk of further persecution, torture or death.
Mr Harkat and Mr Mahjoub are on their second security certificates; Mr Jaballah is on his third. Mr Harkat is now preparing to go to the Supreme Court to challenge the legal framework for a second time. How many more times do these men need to challenge the legality of their detention, win - and begin all over again before they are released?
Today, and yesterday, public protests have taken place across Canada in support of the security certificate detainees. We are adding our voices as concerned labour, civil liberties and human rights organization to the growing chorus that insists on immediate freedom for the security certificate detainees and accountability for officials and laws whose actions have resulted in their detention.
PUBLIC STATEMENT
Canadian Auto Workers (CAW)
Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)
Comité d'aide aux réfugiés Montréal
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Muslim Council of Montreal
National Union of Public and Government Employees
Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) - York
Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI)
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