[antiwar-van] Camp-out and Rally in Support of Iraj Ghahramani

[Harsha]

* pls forward *

CAMP-OUT AND RALLY IN SUPPORT OF IRAJ GHAHRAMANI

==> 24 HOUR CONTINUOUS CAMPOUT IN FRONT OF CIC OFFICES STARTS
==> RALLY AT CIC (300 WEST GEORGIA) SATURDAY MAY 26 FROM 2-4 PM
==> CONTINUE TO EMAIL/FAX/WRITE LETTERS (TEMPLATE AND BACKGROUNDER BELOW)


Supporters of Iraj Ghahremani have decided to maintain a 24-hour
continuous presence and campout outside Citizenship and Immigration
offices indefinetely to place pressure on the government to stop the
unjust deportation of Mr. Ghahremani.

Mr. Ghahramani is a well known comedic Iranian entertainer and has
contributed greatly to the diverse community in North Vancouver. As a
helpful and supportive elder and member of his community, he is deeply
respected and loved by many.  Mr. Ghahramani arrived in Canada on April 3,
1999 and filed a refugee claim on the basis of the risk and persecution he
faced in Iran. His rejection was based mostly on minor inconsistencies in
his account in his application form versus his account during the hearing-
speaking no English and in a state of high stress and anxiety. Because the
government has failed to implement the appeal process required by the
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (2002), Mr. Ghahramani’s fate has
essentially rested in the hands of one person. As with so many other
refugees, Mr. Ghahramani’s refusal is a reflection of the structurally
flawed refugee system.

We hope you will join in the struggle for dignity for Iraj.

* Spread the word about the rally on Saturday May 26 at 2 pm.

* To call and leave a message of solidarity at the campout, please call
778 552 2099.

* Drop by the campout whenever you can and share your solidarity: leave
messages for Iraj, sign a letter, bring supplies (water, blankets etc).

* Sign up for a shift (even 1 hour sometime in the next few days) at the
campout if you are able to. Please email us at noii-van at resist.ca or call
778 840 2009.

* We have received hundreds of support letters for Iraj- thank you! Please
continue to call/fax/email Minister Stockwell Day and Minister Diane
Finley to demand that they stop this deportation. SAMPLE LETTER included
below.

* If you are interested in getting together a group of coworkers, members
of your group, or members of your community to express your collective
solidarity with Iraj, we would encourage you to organize a coordinated
delegation to arrive at one time and pressure CIC to stop the deportation
of Iraj. Please do contact us about this possibility at noii-van at resist.ca
or call 778 885 0040.

Please stay in touch if you would like to receive future updates and thank
you for your ongoing support. In solidarity, No One is Illegal Vancouver
For more information, email noii-van at resist.ca or call 778 885 0040


==> SAMPLE LETTER ==>

Diane Finley
Fédéral Immigration Ministre
Ottawa Telephone: (613) 996-4974
Ottawa Fax: (613) 996-9749
Constituency Office Telephone: (519) 426-3400
Constituency Office Fax: (519) 426-0003
Email: minister at cic.gc.ca and Finley.D at parl.gc.ca

Stockwell Day,
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Phone: 613.995.1702 or in Riding: 250.770.4480
Email: Day.S at parl.gc.ca and days1 at parl.gc.ca
Fax: (613) 943-0044 or in Riding: 250.770.4484

Dear Minister Finley and Day,

I am writing to express my concern about the imminent deportation of Iraj
Ghahramani, a 70 year old, much loved member of the Iranian Community in
the Greater Vancouver Area. I am writing to ask that you use your
ministerial discretion to set aside his deportation order and grant him
Permanent Residency status.

Mr. Ghahramani has been living North Vancouver as a valuable member of the
community for approximately 8 years. He has been married to a Canadian
Citizen with whom he is in a committed and loving relationship. Their
lives would be devastated, particularly as seniors who rely on each other
greatly for support, friendship, and care giving, if they were to be
separated by his deportation.  Mr. Ghahramani’s sister and four-half
brothers and their respective families also reside in Vancouver.

He is also a famous comedic entertainer and has contributed greatly to the
rich and diverse culture of community in North Vancouver. As a helpful and
supportive elder and member of his community, he is deeply loved and
respected by many.

Mr. Ghahramani’s physical health is fragile. His emotional health has been
deeply impacted by the loss of his father and the daily anxiety and stress
of a pending deportation and family separation. Mr. Ghahramani faces
increased risk of unreasonable hardship if he is deported to Iran due to
his age, ill health and lack of support in Iran.

I am writing to you to express my support for Mr. Ghahramani and to urge
you to stop all removal orders against him and granting him residency
status in Canada immediately.

Regards,

Name:
Address:

--------------------------------------

BACKGROUND INFO:

This is an appeal for your support in the campaign to stop the imminent
deportation of Iraj Ghahramani, a 70 year old, much loved member of the
Iranian Community in the Greater Vancouver Area.  His deportation date is
scheduled for the end of May 2007.

Mr. Ghahramani is a famous comedic Iranian entertainer and has contributed
greatly to the diverse community in North Vancouver. As a helpful and
supportive elder and member of his community, he is deeply respected and
loved by many.

Mr. Ghahramani arrived in Canada on April 3, 1999 and filed a refugee
claim on the basis of the risk and persecution he faced in Iran. His
rejection was based mostly on minor inconsistencies in his account in his
application form versus his account during the hearing- speaking no
English and in a state of high stress and anxiety. Because the government
has failed to implement the appeal process required by the Immigration and
Refugee Protection Act (2002), Mr. Ghahramani’s fate has essentially
rested in the hands of one person. As with so many other refugees, Mr.
Ghahramani’s refusal is a reflection of the structurally flawed refugee
system.

In 2007, Mr. Ghahramani filed a humanitarian and compassionate claim on
the basis of his establishment within Canada, which included over 800
letters of support from community members. However this application was
recently refused; primarily on the grounds that he has been receiving
social assistance. As a senior, he is unable to pursue the difficult
low-wage jobs that many immigrants and refugees are forced to take upon
arrival to Canada. Furthermore, he has in fact worked intermittently over
the past 8 years. This assessment ignores the reality that Mr. Ghahramani
has contributed greatly through other means, that he has built a strong
network in Vancouver, and that his value as a human being and as a senior
cannot be simply quantified by his access to paid employment.

He has multiple family members here, firstly his wife with whom he is in a
committed and loving relationship and who is a Canadian citizen. Their
lives would be devastated, particularly as seniors who rely on each other
greatly for support, friendship, and care giving, if they were to be
separated by his deportation. Mr. Ghahramani’s sister and four-half
brothers and their respective families also reside in Vancouver. His
father, who was accepted in Canada as a refugee, also lived in Vancouver.
Mr. Ghahramani was the primary provider and care-giver to his ailing
father until he passed away in 2004.

Mr. Ghahramani’s physical health is fragile. His emotional health has been
deeply impacted by the loss of his father and the daily anxiety and stress
of a pending deportation and family separation.

We are seeking your support to assist Mr. Ghahramani, who faces increased
risk of unreasonable hardship if he is deported to Iran due to his age,
ill health, and lack of support in Iran. At his age Mr. Ghahramani already
struggles to live a dignified life. He requires the support of his wife,
brother, and sister for support, and since he has no family remaining in
Iran he would not be able to care for himself if deported.

We are seeking your support to pressure the government to allow Mr.
Ghahramani to stay in Canada with his wife and family. PLEASE TAKE ACTION
TODAY!



-- 
No One is Illegal-Vancouver
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No One is Illegal-Vancouver is a grassroots anti-colonial
immigrant/refugee rights community collective with leadership from members
of migrant and/or racialized backgrounds. As a movement for
self-determination that challenges the ideology of immigration controls,
we are in full confrontation with Canadian border policies; denouncing and
taking action to combat racial profiling, detention and deportation, the
national security apparatus, law enforcement brutality, and exploitative
working conditions of migrants.

We struggle for the right for our communities to maintain their
livelihoods and resist war, occupation, and displacement; while supporting
indigenous sisters and brothers fighting theft of land and colonization.
We also place ourselves within the broader movement for global social
justice that struggles against capitalism, militarism, oppression,
poverty, imperialism, and other systems of domination and exploitation.