It has been a busy summer! Here are a few things we have done since May 2018 that you may have missed:
Hassan Diab's Story and the Fight Ahead

In June, we hosted the 5th panel of our National Security and Human Rights Speaker series. We had a great turn-out and an amazing discussion. Dr. Hassan Diab, Dr. Rania Tfaily & lawyer Don Bayne talked about Hassan's 10 year ordeal and the fight ahead to change legislation and practices that led to the violation of his rights. Sign the petition calling for a public and independent inquiry into Hassan’s case and share widely! Watch the panel
Trudeau: Stop Deportation to Torture of Moe Harkat

In June, we participated to and filmed the action in front of PM Trudeau's office in Ottawa, urging him to stop the deportation of Ottawa resident and UN Convention refugee Mohamed Harkat. If Moe is sent back to Algeria, he will most likely be detained, tortured and killed. We cannot let this happen. Send a letter urging the Trudeau government to stop the deportation to torture of Moe Harkat! Watch the rally - Read our op-ed
Letter to PM Trudeau: External Review into Hassan Diab's Case Falls Far Short

The ICLMG has sent an open letter to PM Trudeau expressing its concern and disappointment that the government has initiated an “external review” into the extradition and imprisonment in France, without charge, of Dr. Hassan Diab, a Canadian citizen. What is needed is an independent, public inquiry into Dr. Diab’s case and the failings of Canada’s extradition laws. This has been the request of Dr. Diab and his supporters from the beginning, and has been echoed by pre-eminent legal experts, MPs of all political backgrounds, and by human rights and civil liberties organizations. Read the letter
Letter to PM Trudeau: Questions and Concerns about new Minister of Border Security

The ICLMG, along with 8 other organizations, sent an open letter detailing our concerns, including : 1. Creating a Minister of Border Security fuels an unfounded sense of crisis, going against the government’s stated position that Canada faces challenges, but not a crisis, with increased numbers of refugee claimants; 2. Conflating border security and organized crime is a toxic combination, with the potential to deepen public fears and misunderstandings of irregular migration and border security; 3. A third Ministry adds further confusion regarding roles and responsibilities. Read the letter
Government fails to protect rights as it rushes National Security Bill through second-reading

The Liberal government has once again ignored important calls to amend its new national security bill, placing fundamental rights and freedoms in Canada and internationally at risk. Bill C-59, the  National Security Act, 2017 , was rushed through a second-reading vote this week, with governing Liberal MPs voting as a block to approve it without any further amendments, despite calls from civil society and opposition MPs to take action. Read more
ICLMG's comments on Canada's UPR

On June 6, 2018, the ICLMG presented at a meeting organized by Heritage Canada for civil society organizations to present their priorities and solutions for Canada’s implementation of the recommendations put forward by UN member states for Canada’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on human rights. Read our intervention
Canada's No-Fly List

Wanna know everything about Canada's No Fly List and why it needs to go? Read ICLMG's issue paper prepared by Amelia Jarvis. In summary, C anada’s No Fly List, officially known as the Passenger Protect Program (PPP) has several major problems: 1. It creates undue hardships for those who are flagged as false positives; 2. It undermines the right to due process for individuals on the list through a lack of transparency and access to information; 3. It lacks a fair appeal process; 4. It allows unregulated information-sharing with foreign entities which can lead to human rights abuses; 5. Its efficiency and necessity have never been demonstrated. Read more
ICLMG at RightsCon

In May, the ICLMG was in Toronto for RightsCon, a HUGE conference on human rights in the digital age. We attended very interesting talks, met awesome activists and presented on the panel: Creating community capacity to respond to smart city initiatives to support data justice and human rights in a connected space .
ICLMG in the media

ICLMG was interviewed and mentioned in several media outlets. On Ricochet's Unpacking the News podcast: Surveillance, secret trials and Bill C-59's attack on the Charter ; in the Toronto Star: Refugee advocates broadcast ‘urgent concerns’ about Bill Blair’s new federal cabinet role ; and in the Ottawa Citizen: Harkat supporters to rally Monday against deportation bid , among several others.

News Digest

We continue to publish our weekly News Digest that you all receive. If you know anyone interested in national security and/or human rights,  send them an invite to sign up !

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Thank you for your support in protecting civil liberties!

— Anne & Tim

PS: For what we’ve been up to since ICLMG was created in 2002, check out our  Achievements and Gains  page!