security certificate process, man in solitary confinement, bail fund
Hassan Almrei is one of the men who have been held in solitary confinement by the Canadian government under the Security Certificate process, without being charged with a crime and without being allowed to see the evidence against him. Today, I contributed to his bail fund. (If you want to do it too, you can write a cheque to Homes Not Bombs, with "Hassan bail" written on the memo line.) I think that the security certificate process is unjust and that he should be released without need for bail, but released with bail is better than staying in jail. The Supreme Court of Canada unanimously overturned part of the Security Certificate process in February 2007 (in Charkaoui v. Canada) because it violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but the government passed new legislation in early 2008 and continued the process. I think the new law is still unconstitutional, but for now it is being enforced.
According to Wikipedia, when Hassan Almrei unsuccessfully attempted to be released on bail in 2007, two Members of Parliament supported his application and offered money toward his bail fund. They were Bill Siksay and Andrew Telegdi. I have a lot of respect for this action, especially considering how unenlightened most politicians are on this issue. I have a lot of respect for Andrew Telegdi's work on the Citizenship and Immigration Committee, and I know that he gave up other posts in the government that were offered to him, when the Liberals were in power, in order to focus on this work. I also respect his stand on voting against the restrictive anti-terrorism legislation when it was introduced.
I've been following this issue for a while, and I'm glad to have the chance to do something concrete (i.e. contribute to the bail fund). I've written letters to politicians about the issue in the past several times too. That somehow feels less concrete, but it's just as important, perhaps more important.
I want Canada to be a place where people have due process under the law, are not arbitrarily imprisoned, and are not tortured or deported to torture. Actually, I want the whole world to be like that, but Canada would be a good start.
According to Wikipedia, when Hassan Almrei unsuccessfully attempted to be released on bail in 2007, two Members of Parliament supported his application and offered money toward his bail fund. They were Bill Siksay and Andrew Telegdi. I have a lot of respect for this action, especially considering how unenlightened most politicians are on this issue. I have a lot of respect for Andrew Telegdi's work on the Citizenship and Immigration Committee, and I know that he gave up other posts in the government that were offered to him, when the Liberals were in power, in order to focus on this work. I also respect his stand on voting against the restrictive anti-terrorism legislation when it was introduced.
I've been following this issue for a while, and I'm glad to have the chance to do something concrete (i.e. contribute to the bail fund). I've written letters to politicians about the issue in the past several times too. That somehow feels less concrete, but it's just as important, perhaps more important.
I want Canada to be a place where people have due process under the law, are not arbitrarily imprisoned, and are not tortured or deported to torture. Actually, I want the whole world to be like that, but Canada would be a good start.