[antiwar-van] FOR IMM RLS: TODAY at 8:45am - Judicial Review Hearing for Alison Bodine!

[Kira Koshelanyk]

Alison Bodine Defense Committee (ABDC)
defendalisonbodine at hotmail.com | http://alisonbodine.blogspot.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY June 12th, 2008

Defence Rally and Judicial Reveiw Hearing for Alison Bodine, antiwar 
activist banned from Canada for 2 years.

Media Contacts:
Kira Koshelanyk 778-881-6156 | Andrew Barry 604-780-4029

THURSDAY, June 12th, 2008
Defence Rally: 8:45AM 
Judicial Review Hearing: 9:30AM
Federal Court of Canada Building, Pacific Center 
3rd Floor, 701 W Georgia St, Vancouver

On Saturday November 17, 2007, US citizen Alison Bodine, a 23 year 
old anti-war activist who is currently a co-chair of Vancouver's
"Mobilization Against War & Occupation," was forced to leave
Canada under an exclusion order and 2-year ban from Canada 
issued by the Immigration & Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). In 
September 2007, Alison was targeted and harassed as a political 
activist after Canada Border Services agents found anti-war and 
social justice materials in her car as she was entering Canada. 
After Alison was initially asked to not cross the border with the 
political materials, she gave them to a friend, and returned to the 
border where she was allowed entry into Canada. Three days later, 
Canada Border Services Agency had her arrested on a Canada wide 
warrant as she was crossing the border back to the US. After two 
months of campaigning which has now amounted to international media 
coverage, support from MP's, unions and organizations, as well as 
over 3,500 petition signatures, on October 31st, 2007 her hearing 
decision was released. Based on the false and unjust charge 
of 'misrepresentation' she was ordering to leave Canada by November 
17th, when the 2 year ban from Canada was imposed.

In March 2008, Alison and her lawyer received notice that the 
Federal Appeals Court of Canada had granted a judicial review into 
Alison's case, allowing for a chance to appeal her unjust ban from 
Canada. "Whether the decision is in my favor or against, this will 
set the precedent in Canadian law for Canada's policy towards 
political activists in similar cases." Alison Bodine stated. With 
this positive partial victory, the Alison Bodine Defence Committee 
has stepped up the campaign to have the two-year ban lifted, and 
will continue regardless of Thursday's outcome.

The Alison Bodine Defence Committee is calling on all those 
concerned about defending human and democratic rights of social 
justice activists, immigrants, refugees and non- status people, to 
join ABDC in this important rally, and to support Alison in her 
judicial review.
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