[IPSM] No One Is Illegal-Montreal Newswire/Bulletin de nouvelles (May 22, 2006)

[No One Is Illegal Montreal]

====
NO ONE IS ILLEGAL-MONTREAL NEWS AND EVENTS DIGEST
BULLETIN DE NOUVELLES ET D'ÉVÉNEMENTS DE PERSONNE N'EST ILLÉGAL
=====

MAY 22, 2006 -- LE 22 MAI 2006 (1.12)

::::: MAY 27 IN MONTREAL/LE 27 MAI À MONTRÉAL :::::

1a) March for Immigrant Rights: Status for All! (12pm)
1b) Côte-des-Neiges Community Festival (6pm)
1c) Why we are marching!

2a) Une marche pour les droits des immigrants!Un Statut pour tou(te)s! (12h)

2b) Fête Communautaire de Côte-des-Neiges (18h)
2c) Pourquoi nous marchons!

::::: MAY 27 STATUS FOR ALL! DAY OF ACTION ACROSS CANADA :::::

3a) Vancouver
3b) Toronto
3c) Ottawa
3d) Peterborough
3e) Fredericton

::::: AUDIO :::::

4a) La Radio sans frontières (du 22 au 26 mai)
4b) Broadcast Against Borders (May 22-26)

::::: SECRET TRIALS/PROCÈS SECRETS :::::

5a) Three days of democracy: Report on People's Commission Public
Hearings (April 21-23, 2006, Montreal)
5b) Trois jours de démocratie: Les audiences publiques de la
Commission populaire (du 21 au 23 avril 2006, Montréal)

6) Join the Freedom Caravan to Ottawa, June 3-15

7a) Mohamed Harkat sera libéré (Radio-Canada)
7b) Mohamed Harkat granted bail with restrictive conditions (Ottawa Citizen)

8) Entrevue avec/Interview with Mahmoud Jaballah

::::: SIX NATIONS :::::

9) Update from Hazel Hill, Six Nations Camp Spokesperson
10) Six Nations Resources, Information and Up-to-date News
11) No One Is Illegal-Montreal Statement in Solidarity with Six
Nations Land Reclamation

::::: SANCTUARY/SANCTUAIRE :::::

12) Alexa Portnoy is temporarily free (Southern Gazette, Newfoundland)
13) Ethiopian pleads for refugee status (Ottawa Sun)
14) Van Hauve Family to be deported (Ottawa Citizen)
15) "Le Canada nous a tout enlevé" - Suzy Van Hauve (Le Droit)

-----
The No One Is Illegal News and Events Digest is a bilingual (English
and French) weekly selection of analysis, news and events, compiled by
the No One Is Illegal collective in Montreal. To subscribe or
unsubscribe, visit:
https://lists.resist.ca/mailman/listinfo/nooneisillegal-l ;
to contribute, e-mail nooneisillegal at gmail.com

Le bulletin de nouvelles et d'événements de Personne n'est illégal
rassemble une sélection hebdomadaire et bilingue (anglais - français)
de nouvelles, analyses et événements compilée par le collectif
Personne n'est illégal - Montréal. Pour vous abonner (ou vous
désabonner), suivez ce lien:
https://lists.resist.ca/mailman/listinfo/nooneisillegal-l;
pour contribuer au bulletin, contactez-nous par courriel:
nooneisillegal at gmail.com
-----

(((((1a)))))

++++++++++++++++++++++
March for Immigrant Rights!
STATUS FOR ALL!
Justice and dignity
for all migrants and refugees.
++++++++++++++++++++++

SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2006
Demo starts at NOON.
Phillips Square
(corner of Ste-Catherine and Union, near metro McGill)
MONTREAL

-> We are marching, rain or shine!
-> This is a child-friendly march.
-> Bring your banners, placards and noisemakers.
-> There will be food, water and snacks during the demo.
-> Rest vehicles will accompany the march.

INFO: http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org
==========


(((((1b)))))

The march will be followed by:

----------
The Côte-des-Neiges
COMMUNITY FESTIVAL
----------

Saturday, May 27
6pm: Kent Park
(Corner of Kent and Cote-des-Neiges)

"No Borders, No Nations! Let's Start the Celebrations!"

dinner ... MUSIC ... activities for the kids ...
DANCE (including breakdance showcase with LEGZ) ...
And much more ...

Free!!

INFO: 514-848-7583 or sansfrontieres at resist.ca
www.solidarityacrossborders.org
==========


(((((1c)))))

[The following is the text of the flyer that will passed out in the
thousands at the upcoming STATUS FOR ALL march in Montreal ...]

WHY WE ARE MARCHING ...

We are marching to demonstrate against the deportation and detention
of migrants and refugees, and for a comprehensive, inclusive
regularization program, meaning STATUS FOR ALL.

We are marching from downtown Montreal, through Chinatown, the Main,
Mile-End, Little Italy and Parc Extension, ending at Kent Park in
Côte-des-Neiges. We march as part of a national day of protest for
immigrant rights, joining demonstrations in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa
and elsewhere. We march almost one-year after we walked for one week
from Montreal to Ottawa to demand justice and dignity for all migrants
and refugees.

Building on ongoing organizing efforts led by migrant communities, we
are demonstrating because hundreds of thousands of people live without
status, while hundreds of thousands more are exploited by the
arbitrary and racist policies of Immigration Canada.

Police and deportation agents continue to enter our homes, schools and
workplaces, creating fear in our communities, while detaining and
removing our neighbors, colleagues, friends and families.  Instead of
the fear and paranoia promoted by the government, we organize to
support each other, in the spirit of solidarity and mutual aid.

For us, there is no such thing as "illegal" human beings, only unjust
laws and illegitimate governments.

We march today for all our friends and allies who have been removed,
detained, forced underground, forced into sanctuary or victimized by
security certificates: Kader Belaouni - in sanctuary in the
St-Gabriel's Church in Point-St-Charles since January - and the seven
other sanctuary cases across Canada; Mohamed Cherfi, the Akhtar-Khan
family, the Rodriguez family, Khursheda Khanam, Amir Hodhod, the
Arrellano-Diaz family, Dorothy Dubé, Fatima Marhfoul, Ahmed Nafaa,
Ahmed Abdel Majeed, Ali Naqvi, the Ibad family, the Butt family, the
Syed family, Eduardo Perez, Gorka Salazar, Mourad and Nadia, the Vega
family, the Borja family, the Ayoub family, the Ayele family, Mohammad
Mahjoub, Mahmoud Jaballah, Hassan Almrei, Mohamed Harkat, Adil
Charkaoui and many, too many, more.

We also march inspired by those who have successfully resisted
deportations and remain in Canada. We march for all who continue to
fight against detentions, deportations and security certificates.

We are demonstrating as part of a struggle for self-determination as
migrants and refugees, supported by our allies.

We refuse to be invisible; we refuse to live in fear. We demand STATUS
FOR ALL! Join us, as we organize to win.

For  more information, or to get involved:
Solidarity Across Borders
www.solidarityacrossborders.org
514-859-9023 - sansfrontieres at resist.ca
==========


(((((2a)))))

++++++++++++++++++++
Une marche pour les droits des immigrant-e-s!
UN STATUT POUR TOUTES ET TOUS!
Justice et dignité pour
toutes les personnes migrantes et réfugiées.
++++++++++++++++++++

SAMEDI LE 27 MAI 2006
La manifestation commence à MIDI.
Carré Phillips -- Au coin de Sainte-Catherine et Union
(près du métro McGill)
MONTRÉAL

-> Il s'agit d'une marche familiale.
-> Amenez vos bannières, vos pancartes et jouets musicaux!
-> Il y aura de la bouffe, de l'eau et des collations durant la manif.
-> Des véhicules de repos seront accessibles durant la marche.
-> Nous marcherons : beau temps ou mauvais temps !
==========


(((((2b)))))

[Suivi par ...]

----------
FÊTE COMMUNAUTAIRE
de Côte-des-Neiges
----------

Le samedi 27 mai
18h: Parc Kent
(Coin Kent et Côte-des-neiges)

"Pas de frontières, pas de nations! Commençons les célébrations!"

souper ... MUSIQUE ... activités pour les enfants ...
DANSE ... Show de Break avec LEGZ ... et plus encore ...

gratuit!!!

INFO: 514-848-7583 ou sansfrontieres at resist.ca
http://www.solidarityacrossborders.org
==========


(((((2c)))))

POURQUOI NOUS MARCHONS!

Nous marchons pour manifester contre les déportations et les
détentions des immigrant-e-s et réfugié-e-s, et pour revendiquer la
mise en oeuvre d'un programme de régularisation complet et inclusif
pour toutes les personnes sans-statut vivant au Canada. UN STATUT POUR
TOUS ET TOUTES !

Nous marchons au centre-ville de Montréal, à Chinatown, le long de la
Main et à travers Mile-End, la Petite Italie et Parc Extension pour
finir au Parc Kent, à Côte-des-neiges. Nous marchons dans le cadre
d'une journée d'action nationale, avec des camarades de Vancouver, de
Toronto, d'Ottawa et ailleurs au pays. Nous sortons aujourd'hui dans
les rues, presqu'un an après avoir marché pendant une semaine, de
Montréal à Ottawa, pour revendiquer justice et dignité pour tous les
migrant-e-s et réfugié-e-s.

Inspiré-es par les efforts des communautés immigrantes, nous
manifestons parce que des centaines de milliers de personnes vivent
sans statut et que des centaines de milliers d'autres sont exploitées
par les mesures arbitraires et racistes d'Immigration Canada.

Les agents de déportation continuent à pénétrer dans nos maisons, nos
écoles et nos lieux de travail, à instaurer un climat de peur dans nos
communautés, à détenir et à expulser nos voisin-e-s, collègues,
ami-e-s  et familles.

Pour nous, il n'y a rien de tel qu'un être humain illégal : il n'y a
que des lois injustes et des gouvernements illégitimes!

Pour lutter contre la peur et la paranoïa instaurées par le
gouvernement, nous nous soutenons mutuellement, dans un esprit de
solidarité et d'entraide.

Nous marchons aujourd'hui pout tout-e-s nos ami-e-s et allié-e-s qui
ont été expulsé-e-s, détenu-e-s, forcé-e-s à vivre dans la
clandestinité ou en refuge religieux, ou encore victimisé-e-s par les
certificats de sécurité: Kader Belaouni – en refuge à l'église
Saint-Gabriel de Pointe-Saint-Charles depuis janvier – et les sept
autres personnes qui vivent actuellement en refuge religieux au
Canada; Mohamed Cherfi, la famille Akhtar-Khan, la famille Rodriguez,
Khursheda Khanam, Amir Hodhod, la famille Arrellano-Diaz, Dorothy
Dubé, Fatima Marhfoul, Ahmed Nafaa, Ahmed Abdel Majeed, Ali Naqvi, la
famille Ibad, la famille Butt, la famille Syed, Eduardo Perez, Gorka
Salazar, Mourad et Nadia, la famille Vega, la famille Borja, la
famille Ayoub, la famille Ayele, Mohammad Mahjoub, Mahmoud Jaballah,
Hassan Almrei, Mohamed Harkat, Adil Charkaoui et plusieurs autres,
beaucoup trop encore.

Nous sommes inspiré-e-s par celles et ceux qui ont lutté et ont gagné
contre la déportation, et nous marchons aussi pour toutes celles et
tous ceux qui continuent à se battre pour obtenir un statut.

Avec le soutien de nos allié-e-s, nous manifestons pour
l'autodétermination des migrant-e-s et réfugié-e-s.

Nous refusons d'être invisibles ; nous refusons de vivre dans la peur.
Nous demandons un STATUT POUR TOUS ET TOUTES ! Joignez-vous à nos
efforts d'organisation et nous gagnerons.

POUR PLUS DE RENSEIGNEMENTS, OU POUR S'IMPLIQUER :
514-859-9023 – sansfrontieres at resist.ca
www.solidaritesansfrontieres.org
==========


(((((3a)))))

(en español abajo)

Stop the Deportations! STATUS FOR ALL!
Dignity and Justice for Immigrant Communities!

NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Fredericton, Peterborough, and more...

Saturday, May 27, 2006
Gather at 2pm
Vancouver Art Gallery (Robson Side)
In solidarity with marches in the US, please wear white.

==> Family-friendly march
==> Free charter buses will be at 12:30 pm at Kwantlen College, Surrey
and 1 pm at parking lot corner Fraser and Southeast Marine Drive,
Vancouver. Return 5 pm.

With historic marches with hundreds of thousands of immigrants taking
to the streets in the US, grassroots immigrant groups are mobilizing
for a National Day of Action this coming May 27, 2006, with
demonstrations planned in several cities.

Across Canada, migrants, refugees and their allies will demonstrate
against the deportation and detention of migrants and refugees, for a
full, inclusive, unconditional and ongoing regularization program, and
for full rights and dignity for immigrant communities against racism,
poverty, and criminalization.

We are demonstrating because hundreds of thousands of people live
without status, without sufficient access to health care or education,
and in great fear of being detained or deported, all the while being
the most exploited in the workplace. For decades immigrants have been
scapegoated, and now since 9/11, the false link between immigrants and
terrorism has developed with the racist use of Anti-Terrorism
legislation and Security Certificates. Thousands of migrants,
especially immigrant women, are forced to live in poverty; while
thousands of temporary workers perform hard and dangerous labour, yet
are denied their basic rights.

Join us on May 27 as we refuse to be silenced and as we refuse to live
in fear. Celebrate our communities courage as we stand together to
demand status for all and dignity for our friends, families, and
communities!

For more information, contact us at saic at resist.ca or call 778-885-0040.

Organized by the STATUS Coalition, a coalition of Middle Eastern,
Latino, South Asian, African, Iranian, Chinese, and South East Asian
immigrant community-based organizations: Association of Chinese
Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society, Bolivia Solidarity
Committee, Canadian Network for a Democratic Nepal, Consejo Indigena
Popular de Oaxaca -Ricardo Flores Magon - Vancouver, Committee for
Solidarity with Colombia, Iranian Federation of Refugees, Iranian
Refugee B.C, La Surda Latin American Collective, Justicia 4 Migrant
Workers B.C, No One is Illegal, Palestine Arab Women's Association,
Palestine Community Center, Salaam Vancouver, South Asian Network for
Secularism and Democracy, Vancouver Status of Women

Full information at: http://solidarityacrossborders.org/en/node/157

:::::

¡MARCHA POR LOS DERECHOS DE LOS INMIGRANTES!
DÍA DE ACCIÓN NACIONAL: Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal,
Fredericton, Peterborough, y otras...

Sábado 27 de mayo del 2006
Nos encontramos a las 2pm
en la Galería de Arte de Vancouver (lado de Robson).
VESTIR de BLANCO.

Con las marchas históricas de centenares de millares de inmigrantes
volcándose a las calles en los EE.UU.., grupos de base de inmigrantes
se están movilizando en Canadá para que el 27 de mayo del 2006 nos
manifestemos en contra de la deportación y la detención de
inmigrantes, por plenos derechos y dignidad para las comunidades
inmigrantes y en contra del racismo y la pobreza.

Únase a esta causa para que el 27 de mayo rechacemos ser silenciados y
rechacemos vivir con miedo. ¡Celebremos el valor de nuestras
comunidades al alzarnos en unidad para exigir el estatus para
todos/todas y dignidad para nuestros amigos, familias, y comunidades!

Organizado por la Coalición STATUS, una coalición de organizaciones de
base del Medio Oriente, Latinas, del Asia del Sur, del África, de
Irán, China, y del Asia Sur oriental. Para más información,
contactarnos al correo: saic at resist.ca o al teléfono 778-885-0040
==========


(((((3b)))))

TORONTO

NO ONE IS ILLEGAL: NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION STATUS FOR ALL! MARCH
MAY 27
Meet at O.I.S.E. 1pm (252 Bloor St. W)

Since settling into power, the conservative immigration ministry has
used U.S.-style enforcement tactics, such as using children as bait,
arresting children in schools, and targeting community members in
public places like on the street, in malls, and at subway stops.
Community groups and organizations are standing up to fight against
these attacks, to fight for access without fear to city services, and
to fight for a national regularization program for Status for All the
over 500,000 non-status immigrants living and working in this country.

On May 27th, thousands of immigrants, refugees and supporters will
take to the streets of the largest cities across Canada to continue
this fight, and to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the
historic Solidarity Across Borders March, which unified immigrants,
refugees and non-status people on the following demands: an end to
detentions, deportations, and security certificates, and a demand for
a full regularisation program.

In Toronto, trade unions, agencies, students and activists from broad
layers of affected immigrant and refugee communities will march across
the city, leaving from OISE (252 Bloor St. West) and ending at a city
park where we will celebrate the courage and resilience of migrant
communities in their continued fight for a full and inclusive
regularisation program and access to essential services.

As Immigration Canada increases its targeting of immigrant, refugee
and non-status communities, we must stand together and demand justice
and dignity. We call for an end to the detention and deportation of
our friends and neighbours and for the continued fight against the
exploitation of non-status workers.

For more information:
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org
nooneisillegal at riseup.net

Endorsed by: CAW National, CUPE 3903, Support Don't Deport Coalition,
CUPE International Solidarity Committee, OSSTF District 12 Human
Rights Committee, Access Alliance Multicultural Community Health
Centre, Canadian Tamil Congress, Toronto International Solidarity
Network, International Federation of Iranian Refugees, Grassroots
Youth Collaborative, Philippine Women's Centre, SIKLAB, Worker's
Action Centre, Justice for Migrant Workers, Canada-El Salvador Action
Network, Coalition of Concerned Taxi Drivers, Columbia Action
Solidarity Alliance, Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid, OCAP Women
of Etobicoke, Prisoners Justice Action Committee, the 81 Reasons
Campaign, Black Youth Taking Action and many more.
==========


(((((3c)))))

OTTAWA

The Status For All! event will begin at noon at the Human Rights
Monument on Elgin Street at 1pm. Event co-sponsored by the Justice for
Mohamed Harkat Committee and the International Solidarity Committee of
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario.

For more info: knastov at yahoo.com, jsquires at chebucto.ns.ca or 613-328-5831.
==========


((((((3d)))))

PETERBOROUGH

Communities in Peterborough are mobilizing towards a National Day of
Action for Status for All on May 27th 2006. We are calling on all
allies, community and agency members, artists and performers,
activists and trade unionists, students and academics, immigrant and
refugee communities to come together to demand Status for All.

Saturday May 27th
10:00 a.m. at Confederation Park, George St.: Local rally, public
banner hanging, community speakers

11:00 a.m. at Sadlier House, (George St., just North of Parkhill) :
Organized transportation to join 1 p.m. march in Toronto (returning
same day). Please contact Ziysah at nccpeterborough.ca or 743-0882 to
reserve a seat.

Sponsored By: Traveling World Community Film Festival; the Centre for
Theory, Culture and Politics; Kawartha Ploughshares; the Frost Centre
for Canadian Studies and Native Studies; Food not Bombs; Helen and
Jarret; Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty; Beats for Justice!;
OPIRG Peterborough.
==========


(((((3e)))))

FREDERICTON

Festive and informative march downtown and across the river, followed
by community potluck.

Saturday MAY 27th @ 1 PM in Queen's Square Park (the park just below
the campus).

Join us in solidarity, celebration and in delivering the multi-lingual
messages that NO ONE IS ILLEGAL and that everyone has the right to be
treated with dignity and enjoy the same rights. Look for the
multi-lingual banners!

And listen for the worldly music! Updates:
sjs.revolt.org

Proposed Route:
We'll be marching from the park at 1:30, traveling downtown on Church
St., left on Queen St., dropping leaflets and individual messages off
at the Legislature, then City Hall, then traveling across the river on
the Westmorland bridge towards St. Mary's First Nation, then back to
Queen's Square Park by approximately 3:00pm.

Community Potluck!
Between 3:00 and 3:30pm, there will be a worldly potluck at Queen's
square park, representative of the many diverse communities present.

What to Bring: As mentioned, please bring banners, placards and even
leaflets if you wish. ALSO bring drums and other noisemakers. Be
creative!

Fredericton contact:
Asaf Rashid: handsofnothing at yahoo.ca (Fredericton contact for
Solidarity Across Borders)
==========


(((((4a)))))

(English message follows)

La Radio de CKUT (90,3FM) présente : La Radio sans frontières (du 22 au 26
mai)

Une semaine d'émissions sur les luttes liées à la migration à Montréal
et partout en Amérique du Nord. Cette série, co-présentée par les
stations CKLN de Toronto et  CFRU (Coop) de Vancouver, sera diffusée
dans plusieurs villes. La Radio sans frontières est une des
initiatives menant à la journée d'action nationale Un statut pour tous
et toutes! du 27 mai.

Pour plus d'information : http://solidarityacrossborders.org/fr/node/154

Pour entendre cette série exceptionnelle à Montréal, écoutez Off the
Hour sur les ondes de CKUT – 90.3 FM, du lundi 22 mai jusqu'au
vendredi 26 mai, de 17h à 18h.

Lundi, le 22 mai : En profondeur, (la version francophone de Off the Hour)

Soyez des nôtres pour une entrevue avec des organisateurs et
organisatrices immigrant-es de Montréal qui parleront de la journée
nationale d'action Un Statut pour tous et toutes! du 27 mai.  Aussi,
une entrevue avec Projet Accompagnement Quebec-Guatemala sur le
déplacement forcé dans l'Amérique Latine.

Mardi le 23 mai

Des entrevues et des reportages sur les immigrant-es et réfugié-es qui ont
lutté – et perdu – contre le système d'immigration. Leurs histoires sont
aujourd'hui une source d'inspiration.

Au programme :
-       Une entrevue avec Amir Hodhod, un réfugié égyptien et
organisateur avec Solidarité sans frontières;
-       Une entrevue avec Shamim Akhtar et Sadaf Ali Khan, deux
réfugié-es pakistanais-es qui ont été déporté-es aux ÉU à l'été 2004;
-       Une entrevue avec Ahmed Abdel-Majid, un réfugié palestinien
déporté à un camp de réfugiés au Liban.

Mercredi le 24 mai

Les mesures sécuritaires en matière d'immigration : ce que l'État canadien
fait aux migrant-es au nom de la sécurité nationale…avec :

-       Des extraits de la Commission populaire sur les mesures sécuritaires
en
matière d'immigration (www.peoplescommission.ath.cx);
-       Une présentation de Arash Aslani, un réfugié iranien qui a été
détenu à
Laval pendant 10 mois.

Jeudi le 25 mai

Les femmes et l'immigration. Un aperçu de l'impact qu'ont les
déplacements et les mesures d'Immigration Canada sur les femmes, et un
regard sur la lutte menée par ces dernières.

Vendredi le 26 mai

Une table ronde en direct sur les luttes liées à la migration partout sur
le continent.

Avec :
-       Des membres de Solidarité sans frontières, de Montréal;
-       Des membres de Personne n'est illégal de Toronto et Vancouver;
-       Le Comité pour la défense des droits civils du New Jersey;
-       Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), de New-York;
-       Le collectif O.R.G.A.N.I.C. de Sans Diego.

Les stations de radio qui participent à La Radio sans frontières sont
: CKUT (90.3FM Montréal, www.ckut.ca), CKLN (88.1FM Toronto,
www.ckln.fm), CFRO (Co-op Radio 102.7FM, Vancouver,
www.coopradio.org), Continental Associate Broadcasters, 1KX Network
(Toronto, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, www.148.ca), Borderline
Books(Netherlands, www.borderlinebooks.nl).

Vous pouvez écouter la série en direct à www.ckut.ca, ou télécharger
les émissions des archives « en ligne » de CKUT. Des liens audio
seront accessibles au cours de la semaine.

Pour plus d'information: (514) 398-6788 ou news at ckut.ca
==========


(((((4b)))))

CKUT Radio Presents - Broadcast Against Borders (May 22-26)

A week-long series of broadcasts on migration struggles in Montreal,
and throughout North America.  This broadcast will be heard in
numerous cities, and is being co-presented by CKLN radio in Toronto,
and CFRU (Coop) radio in Vancouver.  Broadcast Against Borders takes
place in the lead up to the 'Status for All' cross-Canada day of
action on May 27.

For more info:  http://solidarityacrossborders.org/en/node/160

In Montreal, tune in to 'Off the Hour' on CKUT, 90.3FM, from Monday,
May 22, to Friday, May 26, 5:00-6:00pm for this unique broadcast.

Monday, May 22, 'En Profondeur' (the french edition of 'Off the Hour')

Join us for interviews with immigrant organizers in Montreal, as we
discuss the May 27 cross-Canada Status for All actions.  Plus an
interview with Projet Accompagnement Quebec-Guatemala, focusing on
forced displacement throughout Guatemala and Latin America.

Tuesday, May 23

Interviews and reports on immigrants and refugees who have fought the
immigration system and have lost.  Their stories continue to inspire
us.

Featuring:
--An interview with Amir Hodhod, an Egyptian refugee and organizer
with Solidarity Across Borders
--An interview with Shamim Akhtar and Sadaf Ali Khan, two Pakistani
refugees who were deported to the USA in the summer of 2004
--An interview with Ahmed Abdel-Majid, a Palestinian refugee deported
back to a refugee camp in Lebanon

Wednesday, May 24

Immigration 'security' measures:  what the Canadian state does to
migrants in the interests of 'national security'.  Featuring:

--Audio from the People.s Commission on Immigration Security
Measures(www.peoplescommission.ath.cx)
--A presentation by Arash Aslani, an Iranian refugee who was detained
in Laval for 10 months.

Thursday, May 25

Women and Immigration.  A look at how displacement and Immigration
Canada's policies affect women, and how women from migrant communities
are fighting back.

Friday, May 26

A live, round table discussion on migration struggles across the
continent. Featuring:

--Members of Solidarity Across Borders in Montreal
--Members of No One Is Illegal in Toronto and Vancouver
--The New Jersey Civil Rights Defense Committee
--Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM, New York City)
--O.R.G.A.N.I.C. collective (San Diego)

Broadcast Against Borders, participating stations:  CKUT (90.3FM
Montreal, www.ckut.ca ), CKLN (88.1FM Toronto, www.ckln.fm), CFRO
(Co-op Radio 102.7FM Vancouver, www.coopradio.org), Continental
Associate Broadcasters. 1KX Network (Toronto, Kansas City, Tampa Bay,
www.148.ca), Borderline Books(Netherlands, www.borderlinebooks.nl).

You can listen live online at www.ckut.ca , or download the programs
from the CKUT online archives.  Audio links will be posted later in
the week.

For more information, contact 514-398-6788 or news at ckut.ca.
==========


(((((5a)))))

Trois jours de démocratie
Les audiences publiques de la Commission populaire
Du 21 au 23 avril 2006, Montréal

** Photo reportage : http://gallery.cmaq.net/peoplescommission **
** Rapport des résultats et recommandations des commissaires sera publié
le 6 juin prochain. **

Pendant trois jours, la Commission populaire sur les mesures «
sécuritaires » en matière d'immigration a tenu une série d'audiences
publiques dans un centre communautaire du quartier Saint-Henri à Montréal.
Une première au Québec,  cette commission populaire fut mise en place pour
examiner les injustices et les abus infligés aux immigrant(e)s - au nom de
la sécurité nationale - et pour formuler des recommandations en faveur du
changement et de l'action.

Sous le couvert des mesures « sécuritaires » en immigration, des
non-citoyens se font retirer leur droit à un procès juste et équitable, à
la protection contre les détentions arbitraires et à la protection contre
la torture. Les certificats de sécurité et d'autres politiques semblables
soulèvent de sérieuses inquiétudes concernant les moyens par lesquels les
principes d'égalité, de liberté, de présomption d'innocence et de sécurité
sont mis en pratique au Canada. Elles augmentent le pouvoir des autorités
gouvernementales sur les individus et soulèvent de graves questions sur l'
avenir de notre société.

Les neuf commissaires, tous et toutes ancré(e)s dans des communautés qui
ont subi les impacts des mesures « sécuritaires » racistes (plus de
renseignements sur les commissaires - en anglais - à cette adresse
www.peoplescommission.ath.cx/commissionners.php), ont tour à tour
questionné les quelques trente témoins qui ont participé aux audiences.

Incidemment, les audiences se sont déroulées en même temps qu'une crise
territoriale à Six Nations
(http://sisis.nativeweb.org/actionalert/index.html ). Sous la menace
d'une potentielle intervention militaire, l'un des commissaires,
Kahentineta
Horn, un ancien de la communauté Mohawk de Kahnawake,  ne fut pas en
mesure de participer pleinement aux audiences publiques. Par contre, cette
situation a servi à illustrer le contexte de colonialisme qui conditionne
les politiques canadiennes d'immigration.

Les témoins, qui venaient de Hull, Kingston, Ottawa, Toronto, Sherbrooke
et Montréal, ont apporté aux audiences publiques une abondance
d'expérience et d'expertise. Les audiences se sont ouvertes avec Alex
Neve, Secrétaire générale d'Amnistie Internationale Canada, section
anglophone, qui a exposé en détail la position d'AI selon laquelle le
Canada, avec ses certificats de sécurité, est en contravention directe du
droit international. Le même grooupe de témoins incluait Sophie Lamarche
Harkat, qui mène depuis trois ans et demi une campagne pour faire libérer
son mari, Mohamed Harkat, actuellement détenu en vertu d'un certificat de
sécurité, et Victor Regalado, un journaliste qui fut détenu au Canada en
1982 - également en vertu d'un certificat de sécurité - après avoir fui le
Salvador en raison de ses convictions politiques. Regalado, qui a été lavé
de tout soupçon et  a reçu sa citoyenneté après 22 ans, a expliqué comment
le stress lié à une surveillance constante peut transformer une personne
en son propre gardien de prison et la pousser à censurer ses paroles et
ses actions.

Au cours des jours suivants, les commissaires ont entendu Latifa
Charkaoui, qui a été forcée par un édit de la cour à surveiller son propre
fils et obligée à l'accompagner chaque fois qu'il quitte son domicile,
alors qu'elle est elle-même sous surveillance; Dieter Misgeld, dont la
femme, une réfugiée admise qui a fui la répression politique en Colombie,
est menacée de déportation en vertu de preuves secrètes; Warren Allmand,
l'ex-Solliciteur général du Canada, qui a indiqué qu'il s'agit d'une
pratique normale pour le Solliciteur général d'approuver les requêtes des
agences de renseignement sans pour autant prendre connaissance des cas, et
qui a défendu l'argument selon lequel le droit criminel fournit un
meilleur cadre que le droit d' immigration pour gérer les enjeux
sécuritaires; Suleyman Goven, un réfugié natif du Kurdistan Turc qui vit
sans statut depuis plus de dix ans et qui a finalement décidé de
poursuivre le SCRS en raison des graves abus qui ont marqué son cas; Arash
A., un réfugié Iranien qui a passé 10 mois en détention d'immigration «
normale » alors qu'il se battait pour l'obtention de son statut;  Johanne
Doyon, l'avocate qui contestera la constitutionnalité des certificats de
sécurité devant la Cour suprême en juin prochain; Sherene Razack et Gary
Kinsman, qui ont exposé une importante analyse historique du racisme et du
discours de sécurité nationale au Canada; Ahmad Jaballah, le fils de
Mahmoud Jaballah, actuellement détenu en vertu d'un certificat de
sécurité, qui a dit que son enfance lui a été volée, ayant été soumis dès
l'âge de 11 ans aux interrogations du SCRS, aux audiences et à l'attention
du public en plus de devoir assumer une bonne partie des responsabilités
familiales; et plusieurs autres (programme complet au
http://www.peoplescommission.ath.cx/audiences_fr.php).

Après chaque présentation, les témoins furent interrogés par les
commissaires et par les membres du public. Il y avait ensuite une période
d' échange libre, ouverte aux commentaires et expériences des membres de
l' assemblée.

Un enregistrement complet des audiences sera disponible sous peu sur le
site Internet de la Commission au www.peoplescommission.ath.cx.

Le rapport des résultats et recommandations des commissaires sera
publié le 6 juin prochain, une semaine avant la contestation de la
constitutionnalité des certificats de sécurité en Cour suprême. Le rapport
sera rendu public à Ottawa et  soumis à l'attention des députés et des
autorités gouvernementales qui sont appelées à prendre des décisions sur
ces enjeux. Le lancement aura lieu au cours d'une caravane de Toronto à
Ottawa, qui se dirigera vers le bâtiment où se tiendront les audiences sur
les certificats de sécurité et où sera organisé un Campement de l'Espoir
pendant les trois jours que dureront ces audiences. (Pour plus de
renseignements ou pour s'impliquer dans ce projet : www.homesnotbombs.ca
ou, pour des actions de soutien à Montréal autour des audiences en Cour
suprême : www.adilinfo.org).

Une version publique du rapport de la Commission populaire, sous la forme
d' un livret avec des éléments audio et vidéo, sera mise au point au cours
de l 'été et sera disponible en septembre 2006.

--------------------------------
www.peoplescommission.ath.cx
abolissons at gmail.com
tél 1 (514) 859-9023
fax (514) 848-7584

Commission populaire c/o QPIRG Concordia
1500, de Maisonneuve O., ste. 204
Montréal QC H3G 1N1

La Commission populaire est une initiative de la  Coalition
Justice pour Adil Charkaoui (www.adilinfo.org), GRIP-Concordia, et
Solidarité sans frontières (www.solidarityacrossborders.org ).

La Commission populaire est appuyée par :  l'Association pour la
défense des droits sociaux (ADDS), la Campagne pour l'arrêt des procès
secrets au Canada, CAIR-CAN, Centre communautaire des femmes
sud-asiatiques de Montréal, Centre justice et foi, le Centre des
travailleurs et travailleuses immigrants (CTI), CKUT 90.3 FM, le
Comité justice pour Mohamed Harkat, Comité chrétien pour les droits
humains en Amérique latine (CCDHAL), Comité des sans-emploi
Montréal-Centre, Communauté Catholique Congolaise de Montréal ,
Concordia Student Union (CSU), le Conseil canadien pour les réfugiés
(CCR), Conseil des canadiens, Conseil musulman de Montréal, Fédération
canado-arabe (CAF), Downtown Legal Services (DLS) Toronto, Fédération
autonome du collégial (FAC), Institute in Management and Community
Development (part of the Centre for Continuing Education at Concordia
University), Inter Pares, International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group
(ICLMG), Jesuit Refugee Service, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice
Initiatives, la Ligue des droits et libertés, la Ligue des Noirs du
Québec, Moog Audio, Nova Scotia Public Interest Research Group (NSPIRG),
People's Potato, Personne est illégal-Montréal, Personne est
illégal-Toronto, Personne est illégal-Vancouver, Ontario Coaliton
against Poverty (OCAP), Projet Accompagnement Solidarité Colombie
(PASC), Soeurs Auxiliatrices, le Syndicat des travailleurs et
travailleuses des postes du Canada (STTP), Table de concertation des
organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI),
Toronto Action for Social Change (TASC), United Muslim Students
Association (UMSA).
==========


(((((5b)))))

Three days of democracy
Report on People's Commission Public Hearings
21-23 April 2006, Montreal

** PHOTO ESSAY: gallery.cmaq.net/peoplescommission **

** Commissioners' report of findings and recommendations
is due on 6 June.**

For three days, the People's Commission on Immigration Security Measures
held Public Hearings at a community centre in Montreal's St-Henri
neighbourhood. The first popular commission of inquiry to take place in
Quebec, it was set up to look into the injustices and abuses inflicted on
immigrants in the name of national security, and to offer recommendations
for change and action.

Under immigration 'security' measures, non-citizens are denied their
rights to a fair trial, to protection from arbitrary detention and to
protection from torture. Security certificates and similar policies raise
serious questions about how the principles of equality, liberty,
presumption of innocence and security of the person are practised in
Canada. They increase the power of government officials over individuals
and raise important questions about the future direction of our society.

The nine Commissioners, all anchored in communities who have
felt the impact of racist 'security' measures (bios of the Commissioners:
www.peoplescommission.ath.cx/commissionners.php), took turns questioning
the thirty witnesses who appeared before the Commission during the
Hearings.

The Hearings took place during an escalation in a land defense at Six
Nations (http://sisis.nativeweb.org/actionalert/index.html). With news of
potential military intervention, one of the Commissioners, Kahentineta
Horn, a Mohawk elder, Kahnawake, was unable to participate fully in the
Hearings. However, the situation only served to highlight the context of
colonialism which frames Canadian immigration policy.

The witnesses, coming from Hull, Kingston, Ottawa, Toronto, Sherbrooke, as
well as Montreal, brought a wealth of experience and expertise to
the hearings. The Hearings opened with Alex Neve, Secretary-General of
Amnesty International Canada, Anglophone section, who detailed Amnesty's
position that Canada is in violation of key international laws in its
security certificate policy and practice. The same block of witnesses
included Sophie Lamarche Harkat, who has been campaigning for three and a
half years for the release of her husband, security certificate detainee
Mohamed Harkat; and Victor Regalado, a journalist detained under a
security certificate in 1982, after fleeing his native El Salvador for his
political beliefs. Regalado, who was cleared of all suspicions and
received his citizenship after 22 years, spoke about how the suspected
presence of constant, unseen surveillance turns us into our own prison
guards, causing us to screen what we say and how we act.

Over the next few days, Commissioners heard from Latifa Charkaoui, who has
been forced by court order to become an agent of state surveillance of her
own son, having to accompany him every time he leaves his home, while
herself under surveillance; Dieter Misgeld, whose wife, an accepted
refugee who fled political repression in Colombia, faces deportation to
Colombia on secret evidence; Warren Allmand, the former Solicitor-General
of Canada, who testified how it was normal practice for the
Solicitor-General to approve intelligence agency requests without
reviewing the case, and who argued that criminal law provides a better
framework than immigration law for security cases; Suleyman Goven, a
refugee from Turkish Kurdistan, who has lived in legal limbo without
status for over a decade, and is finally suing CSIS for their serious
abuses in his case; Arash A., a refugee from Iran, who spent 10 months in
'ordinary' immigration detention while struggling for his status; Johanne
Doyon, the lawyer who is bringing a full challenge to the
constitutionality of the security certificate to the Supreme Court in
June; Sherene Razack and Gary Kinsman, who provided important historical
analyses of racism and of the use of national security talk in Canada;
from Ahmad Jaballah, son of security certificate detainee Mahmoud
Jaballah, who testified that he had lost his childhood, having, from the
age of 11, to cope with CSIS interviews, court hearings and public
attention, on top of having to take on much of his father's responsibility
in the family; and from many others (full programme:
www.peoplescommission.ath.cx/audiences_en.php).

After each testimony, the witnesses were questioned by the Commissioners
as well as by members of the public. This was followed by an open period
for those assembled to share their own experiences and commentaries.

Full audio recordings of the Hearings will be made available online via
www.peoplescommission.ath.cx shortly.

The Commissioners' report of findings and recommendations is due on 6
June, one week before the Supreme Court hears a constitutional challenge
to security certificates. The report will be launched in Ottawa, to
bring it to the attention of Members of Parliament and others who are
making government decisions on these issues. The launch will take place
during a Caravan from Toronto to Ottawa for the Supreme Court hearings,
which will establish a "Camp Hope" in Ottawa at the Supreme Court building
for the three days of hearings on security certificates. (To find out how
you can get involved or contribute: www.homesnotbombs.ca or, for
Montreal-based actions around the Supreme Court hearings:
www.adilinfo.org.)

A popular version of the People's Commission report, in the form of a
booklet with audio and video component, will be put together over the
summer months, to be ready for use in September.

------------------------------------
www.peoplescommission.ath.cx
abolissons at gmail.com
tel 1 514 859 9023
fax 514 848 7584

People's Commission c/o QPIRG Concordia
1500 de Maisonneuve W., ste. 204
Montreal QC H3G 1N1

The People's Commission is a project of the Coalition for Justice for
Adil Charkaoui (www.adilinfo.org), QPIRG-Concordia, and Solidarity
Across Borders( www.solidarityacrossborders.org).

The People's Commission has been endorsed or sponsored by:
l'Association pour la défense des droits sociaux (ADDS), Black
Coalition of Québec, CAIR-CAN, Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in
Canada, Canadian Arab Federation (CAF), Canadian Council for Refugees
(CCR), Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Centre justice et foi,
Comité chrétien pour les droits humains en Amérique latine (CCDHAL),
Au Contre-Temps B&B, Comité des sans-emploi Montréal-Centre, CKUT 90.3
FM, Communauté Catholique Congolaise de Montréal, Concordia Student
Union (CSU), Council of Canadians, Downtown Legal Services (DLS)
Toronto, Fédération autonome du collégial (FAC), Immigrant Workers'
Centre (IWC), Institute in Management and Community Development (at
the Centre for Continuing Education at Concordia University), Inter
Pares, International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (ICLMG), Jesuit
Refugee Service, The Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee, KAIROS:
Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, Ligue des droits et libertés,
Moog Audio, Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM), No One Is Illegal
-Montreal, No One Is Illegal -Vancouver, No One Is Illegal-Toronto,
Nova Scotia Public Interest Research Group (NSPIRG), Ontario Coalition
against Poverty (OCAP), Projet Accompagnement Solidarité Colombie
(PASC), People's Potato, Soeurs Auxiliatrices, South Asian Women's
Community Centre (SAWCC), Table de concertation des organismes au
service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI), Toronto Action
for Social Change (TASC), United Muslim Students Association (UMSA).
==========


((((((6))))))

Join the Freedom Caravan to Ottawa, June 3-15
(If you can't join but wish to support the caravan, see details below)

Close Canada's Guantanamo Bay!

Five Muslim Men in Canada:
Detained years without charge
Jailed on secret "evidence"
Fighting deportation to torture

Get on Board: Freedom Caravan and "Camp Hope," Toronto-Ottawa: June 3-15,
2006

Join a nonviolent community on wheels as we travel through dozens of
communities between Toronto and Ottawa (June 3-10) and set up "Camp Hope"
(June 11-15) at the steps of the Supreme Court, site of an historic three
days of hearings on the grave human rights abuses stemming from Canada's
secret trials.

BACKGROUND

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
A right delayed is a right denied. Injustice anywhere is a threat to
justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Throughout history, long-distance journeys have played a key role in social
justice struggles. In Canada, there have been cross-country caravans in
solidarity with First Nations struggles, long-distance walks for refugee
rights, freedom rides, and treks by train, such as the 1930s "On to Ottawa"
anti-poverty mobilization.

Such journeys are both political and spiritual pilgrimages, opportunities
to get beyond the world of sound-bite politics and engage in dialogue at a
slower pace.

Five Years of Campaigning
For five years, efforts to end secret trials in Canada and deportations to
torture have involved a wide variety of actions, from long-distance walks
and 24-hour vigils to sit-ins, court support, educational efforts,
theatrical productions, and Ottawa lobbying.

Yet four men remain detained behind bars without charge or bail, and a
fifth struggles with absurdly draconian conditions of "release." The United
Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and thousands of
Canadians have called for an end to such abuses.

Hearings are NOT the End of the Road...
Although the Supreme Court hearings will be a significant moment, they are
not the end of the road. Indeed, no matter how the Court rules, spy agency
CSIS and the cruel bureaucracy of Canadian Immigration are likely to
continue their harassment of immigrant and refugee communities. The Secret
Trial Five will likely be denied freedom for some time to come, so we must
continue our protests and support for the men and their families.

A Unique Opportunity
This June, we have a unique opportunity to focus nationwide attention on
the serious human rights abuses committed by the Canadian government
against five men and their families (Mohammad Mahjoub, Mahmoud Jaballah,
Hassan Almrei, Mohamed Harkat, and Adil Charkaoui) as well as on the much
larger systemic forms of racism and repression directed against refugee and
immigrant communities.


What Will the Freedom Caravan and Camp Hope Look Like?

The period June 3-15 is divided into two distinct parts:

1. The Caravan (June 3-10)
There will be lots to do each day. After breakfast, we will pack and head
out to the next town, where we will disembark, pull out banners, placards,
and flyers, and blanket the community with information and discussion,
whether in town squares or shopping malls, at high schools, in front of MPs
offices. We will then travel to the next town, stop for lunch, and continue
throughout the day with rest spots along the way. Following dinner, there
will usually be an evening procession, and then a review of the day. We
will all have experiences to share and reflect on, and we will also need to
discuss a variety of issues to maintain a smoothly-running community
caravan!

Each night we will sleep in a church or community hall or in specially
arranged billets and attempt to arrange alternative billeting for anyone
with special needs (please let us know about these far in advance!). We
will also attempt to accommodate religious needs (such as Halal food,
prayer time). We'll attempt to arrange showers where available and meals
will be provided in each town.

2. Camp Hope in Ottawa (June 11-15)
Using the spacious grounds in front of the Supreme Court as a daytime
gathering point and for a continuous daylight vigil, we will hold a variety
of demonstrations and delegations to government institutions each day.
Accommodation and food will be provided in Ottawa


Details on Getting Involved:
What to Bring:
Sleeping bag, pillow, change of clothes, medications, good walking shoes,
re-usable water bottle, sunscreen, sun glasses, a hat to protect against
the sun, pocket money for snacks. A sense of humour will help too!

Spirit of the Walk
This is very much a project in the spirit of the civil rights movement. We
ask those who join us to abide by a spirit of openness to all we meet,
nonviolence in word and deed, and respect for each other and our opponents,
some of whom we are likely to meet on the way. This is very much a
community effort: we all share in the tasks of food preparation, clean-up,
taking care of one another, and leaving our host spaces in mint condition!

Do You Have a Vehicle?
For those who own vehicles, we hope you can contact us and let us know how
many people you can take and how much trunk space you have.

Can't spend the whole time on the caravan?
You can join the caravan for a couple of days anywhere along the route. It
is up to you. If you plan to join us in Belleville, for example, let us
know and we'll arrange to meet you at the bus or train station.

Supporting the Caravan
If you can't join the caravan, please consider making a financial
contribution towards our costs. Cheques can be made out to Homes not Bombs
(earmarked "caravan") and sent to PO Box 73620, 509 St. Clair Ave. West,
Toronto, ON M6C 1C0.

What Next?
If you'd like to join Freedom Caravan and Camp Hope, please contact us as
soon as possible with information on how long you can join us, if you have
a vehicle, and if you will be on certain parts of the caravan and/or at
Camp Hope in Ottawa.

Caravan Schedule

(some cities subject to change -- check website for final schedule)
Sat., June 3: Toronto, Markham, Ajax, Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa
Sun., June 4: Bowmanville, Lindsay, Peterborough
Mon., June 5: Port Hope, Cobourg, Colborne, Brighton
Tues., June 6: Trenton, Picton, Bloomfield, Belleville
Wed., June 7: Napanee, Deseronto, Bath (Millhaven), Kingston
Thurs., June 8: Gananoque, Mallorytown, Brockville
Fri., June 9: Perth, Carleton Place, Smiths Falls
Sat., June 10: Kemptville, North Gower, Manotick, Nepean, Ottawa
June 11-15: "Camp Hope," Ottawa, a week of vigils, delegations, nonviolent
actions

Freedom Caravan/Camp Hope Demands:
Free Canada's Secret Trial Detainees
End Secret Trials in Canada
End Deportations to Torture
End Arbitrary Detention Without Charge
End RCMP/CSIS Harassment of Immigrant Communities
Create A Just, Fair System for Refugees

ADDITIONAL THINGS YOU CAN DO

GETTING INVOLVED.

1. LOBBY CAMPAIGN: Challenge your MP (20 March to 22 May 2006) From the end
of March until the third week in May, you are invited to challenge your MP
to take a position on security certificates. Are they willing to take a
stand? To get a kit that you can bring or mail to your MP, contact
justiceforadil at riseup.net and or visit the special page at www.adilinfo.org
to download the kit. The essential part is a follow up by phone or a visit.

2. SUPREME COURT BANNER PROJECT
Whether you can come to Ottawa or not, we wish to blanket the huge lawn of
the Court with banners from across the country expressing regional
rejection of secret trials. If you have a school/ church/ labour/ community
group, we would love for you to grab an old bed sheet, paint out "Red Deer
Against Secret Trials: Free the Detainees!" or "St. John's United Church,
Moncton, NB, Says Stop Deportations to Torture," etc., and send us the
banner for display (you can send completed and folded banners to Campaign
to Stop Secret Trials in Canada, PO Box 73620, 509 St Clair Ave. West,
Toronto, ON M6C 1C0. If you have ideas you want to run by us, contact
tasc at web.ca or (416) 651-5800.

3. SECRET TRIALS STATEMENT
While in Ottawa, we wish to present to the federal government thousands of
statements signed by people across the country expressing rejection of
secret trials and calling for due process. Please download the statement at
http://www.homesnotbombs.ca/STATEMENT.pdf, make copies, have folks sign it,
and return completed copies to PO Box 73620, 509 St. Clair Ave. West,
Toronto, ON M6C 1C0

4.  LOCAL VIGILS IN SUPPORT
Tuesday, June 13 is the first day of the hearings. If you cannot come to
Ottawa, why not organize a vigil of support in front of a local immigration
office, CSIS/RCMP detachment, federal government building, or MP's office?
Stuck for ideas or need help with a flyer, just let us know! If you DO plan
such a vigil, also let us know, and we will inform the national media of
what you are up to. Monday, June 26 is also a national day of action to end
Canadian complicity in torture. More details TBA.

5. FINANCIAL HELP
Of course, any undertaking such as this requires a lot of expenses,
especially for the thousands of educational flyers we will be producing,
the costs of bringing witnesses to Montreal for the commission, the
logistics of the week in Ottawa, etc. Please make cheques out to Homes not
Bombs and mail them to PO Box 73620, 509 St Clair Ave. West, Toronto, ON
M6C 1C0. Please earmark where you would like your donation to go towards
(ie, Family Support Fund, Freedom Caravan, General Campaign expenses, etc.).

Get in touch: Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in Canada
PO Box 73620, 509 St Clair Ave. West Toronto, ON M6C 1C0
(416) 651-5800, tasc at web.ca www.homesnotbombs.ca
==========


(((((7a)))))

Mise à jour le mardi 23 mai 2006 à 14 h 47

Sécurité
Mohamed Harkat sera libéré

(Radio-Canada)
http://radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/National/2006/05/23/001-Harkat-Libere-Cour.shtml


La Cour fédérale a rendu, mardi, une décision favorable à Mohamed
Harkat, ce réfugié d'origine algérienne détenu en vertu d'un
certificat de sécurité. Ottawa le soupçonne de liens avec des groupes
terroristes.

La juge Eleanor Dawson a estimé que M. Harkat pouvait être libéré en
attendant la décision sur son renvoi du Canada, mais qu'il devra se
soumettre à certaines conditions:

il devra fournir une caution de 35 000 $;
il devra porter sur lui un appareil électronique permettant en tout
temps d'identifier son emplacement;
il pourra quitter sa résidence de 8 h à 21 h, mais pourra uniquement
demeurer sur son terrain la plupart du temps, sauf trois fois par
semaine maximum, et ce pour quatre heures maximum, après approbation
des autorités.

M. Harkat a été arrêté à son appartement d'Ottawa en décembre 2002. Il
est soupçonné d'activités terroristes, mais aucune accusation n'a été
portée contre lui. Il serait entré au Canada avec un faux passeport.

Le Service canadien du renseignement de sécurité (SCRS) affirme que
Mohamed Harkat a participé à des camps d'entraînement terroristes en
Afghanistan et qu'il fait partie d'une cellule dormante d'Al-Qaïda.

En mars dernier, la juge Dawson avait réfuté les arguments de M.
Harkat selon lesquels les certificats de sécurité sont contraires aux
droits fondamentaux garantis par la Charte canadienne des droits et
libertés. La Cour suprême doit se pencher sur cette question les 13 et
14 juin prochain.

Ottawa a immédiatement remis en marche les procédures pour l'expulser
en Algérie. Son épouse, Sophie Harkat, soutient qu'il pourrait être
torturé ou tué s'il retourne dans son pays natal.

Des certificats controversés

Un certificat de sécurité est une procédure exceptionnelle engagée par
le ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l'Immigration et le ministre de la
Sécurité publique du Canada. Elle permet d'emprisonner ou de déporter
tout résident permanent ou tout ressortissant étranger pour des
raisons de sécurité nationale, sans avoir à l'accuser formellement ni
à divulguer l'ensemble de la preuve contre lui.

Cette procédure ne découle pas de la loi antiterroriste, adoptée dans
la foulée des attentats du 11 septembre 2001 aux États-Unis, mais bien
de la Loi sur l'immigration et la protection des réfugiés qui a été
mise en place en 1991.

Les détracteurs de la procédure estiment qu'elle ouvre la porte à la
déportation vers des pays où la torture est pratiquée, en plus de
bafouer les droits fondamentaux des suspects. Actuellement, six
personnes sont soumises à un tel certificat au Canada.
===========


(((((7b)))))

Terror suspect granted bail due to delays
Ottawa man declared a danger to society, but judge rules his case has
dragged on too long

Andrew Duffy
The Ottawa Citizen

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=6a2faa6a-c19c-4609-bce6-1edd214515ba


Wednesday, May 24, 2006

More than three years after being imprisoned as a suspected al-Qaeda
terrorist, Mohamed Harkat has won the right to return to his Ottawa
home.

Federal Court Judge Eleanor Dawson ruled yesterday that Mr. Harkat's
detention has been unfairly prolonged by federal officials who have
dragged their feet in deciding whether he should be deported to
Algeria.

Judge Dawson, who ruled last March that Mr. Harkat posed a threat to
Canada, said he continues to pose a danger to national security.

But that threat, she said, can be safely neutralized by a series of
strict bail conditions that amount to a modified form of house arrest.

The conditions are considerably more stringent than those imposed on
two other suspected terrorists now on bail: Adil Charkaoui, of
Montreal, and Manickavasagam Suresh, of Toronto.

The judge said Mr. Harkat must be fitted with an electronic monitoring
device and must never be home alone. His wife, Sophie, or
mother-in-law, Pierrette Brunette, must be in the same house at all
times.

Mr. Harkat will be allowed away from his Ottawa home for only 12 hours
each week and must wear the tracking system that allows authorities to
follow him with a global positioning system.

What's more, Mr. Harkat will not be allowed to leave a specified area
around his house, or visit the airport, train station, bus depot or
any car rental agency. He will not be allowed to use a computer or
cellphone.

He must also agree to have his mail searched and his home phone tapped
by federal authorities.

According to terms of the release order, Mr. Harkat must further agree
to let the police enter his home at any time without a warrant to
ensure he's honouring his bail conditions.

Mr. Harkat's wife, Sophie, said last night that she was incredulous
when lawyer Paul Copeland conveyed the news of his court victory.

"I was in a state of shock," she said. "I said, 'Are you kidding me?'
I couldn't believe it. I said, 'No way, no way'."

She hung up the phone and called her husband, who is now held in a
special facility on the grounds of Kingston's Millhaven Penitentiary.

"Pack your bags, you're coming home," she told him.

"Oh, my God, I gotta go," Mr. Harkat said and promptly hung up the
phone to begin packing.

It wasn't until later in the day that Mr. Harkat came to understand
that it will be weeks before all of the bail conditions are in place,
including a $35,000 cash bond and another $82,500 in performance bonds
that can be forfeited if he breaches any of his bail conditions.

The bail conditions are among the most stringent ever imposed, but
there's no question, Mr. Copeland said, that Mr. Harkat will agree to
those set down by the judge. "They're very, very tight," he said. "But
is it better than Millhaven? Absolutely. It's a vast improvement."

Sophie Harkat said her husband's strict release conditions will mean
her own liberties are constrained. "My sentence starts the day he
comes out, so I think I'm going to go out and party tonight," she
laughed. "I'm going to have a huge headache, but it's a good
headache."

She plans to feed him as soon as he walks through the door of their
Mooney's Bay home. "I'm going to make sure he has a really good meal
in his stomach, one of the best meals possible. But I'm going to have
to have someone in here to cook because I don't cook. I'm seriously
bad at couscous."

Mr. Harkat had a previous bail application denied in December when a
Federal Court judge said he was not convinced his deportation will
take an unreasonable length of time.

But Mr. Harkat reapplied for bail earlier this year, based on the fact
that the federal government had not moved his case forward since
December.

Mr. Harkat was waiting for the federal immigration minister to
delegate an official to decide whether he can be deported to Algeria.
That official was not designated until March 7 -- as his second bail
hearing was about to begin -- and federal officials estimated that a
decision on Mr. Harkat's deportation would take until late April at
the earliest.

Judge Dawson said the four-month delay in appointing a delegate was
inexplicable, especially since Mr. Harkat's case had been in the
system for more than three years. What's more, she said, the
government's estimate of how long it will take to decide on Mr.
Harkat's removal cannot be believed, given the delays in other
security certificate cases.

"There is a history of events before the court that, in my respectful
view, casts doubt on the reliability of statements that the delegate's
decision is expected to be completed in late April or early May," she
wrote.

The minister's delegate must assess whether Mr. Harkat continues to
pose a threat to Canadians, whether he faces a substantial risk of
torture if deported and, if the answer to both questions is
affirmative, whether one danger outweighs the other.

Mr. Harkat has said he fears he will be tortured or killed if returned
to Algeria, a country from which he fled as a political dissident in
1990.

Noting that little progress has been made toward Mr. Harkat's
deportation during the past year, Judge Dawson said it "is perhaps
salutary" to repeat that bail provisions exist for terrorist suspects
to ensure the due diligence of federal officials in moving their cases
forward.

Mr. Harkat, 37, came to Canada in 1995 after five years in Pakistan,
during which time, he said, he worked as a warehouse manager for the
Muslim World League.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service alleges that he travelled
to Afghanistan in the early 1990s and developed a relationship with
al-Qaeda lieutenant Abu Zubayda, who ran two terrorist training camps.

Mr. Harkat won refugee status in Canada and settled in Ottawa. He
married an area woman, Sophie Lamarche, on Jan. 2, 2001, and worked as
a pizza delivery man and gas station attendant before being taken into
custody on the strength of a government-issued security certificate on
Dec. 10, 2002.

The certificate, signed by two federal cabinet ministers, accused him
of being an al-Qaeda sleeper agent who posed an immediate security
threat to Canadians. Last year, the certificate was upheld as
"reasonable" by Judge Dawson, based largely on evidence that remains
secret from Mr. Harkat, his lawyers and the public.

Mr. Harkat's case will be among those before the Supreme Court of
Canada in June when it considers whether the security certificate
process is constitutionally valid.
==========


(((((8)))))

Avant de se faire emmener de force au pénitencier à sécurité maximale de
Millhaven à Kingston, Ontario, Mahmoud Jaballah, détenu depuis 5 ans sans
accusation sous un certificat de sécurité, a donné une entrevue au
photographe montréalais Darren Ell.  Dans cette entrevue, il décrit la
cruauté de la détention solitaire, l'impact dévastateur de sa détention sur
sa famille et sur sa santé, et la torture qui suivra une éventuelle
déportation vers l'Egypte.  Voir le lien suivant pour l'entrevue:
http://citizen.nfb.ca/blogs/view/blog-Podcasts

++++

Prior to being moved to the Milhaven Penitentiary in Kingston, security
certificate detainee Mahmoud Jaballah granted an extensive interview to
Montreal Photographer Darren Ell.  He speaks of the cruelty of solitary
confinement, the devastating impact of indefinite detention on his health
and on his family, and his fears of torture if deported to Egypt.  Go to the

link below to hear the interview:
http://citizen.nfb.ca/blogs/view/blog-Podcasts
==========


(((((9)))))

Update from Hazel Hill, camp spokesperson
Tuesday, May 23, 2006 7:28 AM

http://sisis.nativeweb.org/actionalert/updates/060523hazelhill.html

Good Morning from Grand River

Well, by now everyone has heard how our show of good faith was met.
Yesterday morning by 6:00 a.m. the main barricade on Plank Road
(Argyle Street) was removed and the road was completely open ready for
use. It wasn't met with good faith however, on the part of Caledonia
residents, or at least those claiming to represent Caledonia. Their
human barricade refused to budge and at one point, surrounded an
elderly couple who were attempting to come through. The opp stood by
and watched as the angry crowd refused to let our people through and
when spokesman Clyde Powless and spokeswoman Janie Jamieson tried to
go up and talk to the opp to get them to help our people through the
line, they were surrounded by the angry caledonia representatives and
shoving and pushing began. we were told that the vehicle that our
elders were in had windows smashed, however, the opp said that no
damage was done to the car.

It was unclear at that point as to why the caledonia citizens did not
meet our efforts of good faith, but later in an interview, Ken Hewitt,
representing the Caledonia Citizens Alliance stated that they were not
satifsfied with the fact that only one of our barricades were taken
down and that they wanted all of the barricades down and they wanted
the Onkwehonweh people off the land that we've re-claimed. Obviously
David Peterson and the Town of Haldimand didn't inform the caledonia
residents of the nature of the negotiations and the process that was
being followed. Our press release of early yesterday morning with
Chief Allen McNaughton and other representatives of the Confederacy
Council stated the status of the negotiations and that as agreed, the
main road into Caledonia was being opened up as a show of good faith.

Later on that morning there was statements made by some of those on
the caledonia side of things that they wanted to march down argyle
street to the site of the land reclaimation. This was exactly the
concern of the Onkwehonweh people in their hesitation at wanting to
open up the road in the first place. The intention of our people to
keep the peace and open the road was being met with anger and threats
to our safety. Needless to say, because the opp were unable to
convince those representing caledonia to disassemble their human
blockade and go home and allow us to proceed as planned with the
peaceful negotiations, the barricades were put back up. At one point,
one of the elders of our people had offered a symbolic gesture to let
them know that we still are upholding the peace and that they must
choose which direction they wanted to proceed, but he was met with
hollering and insults from the non-native protesters.

I must add as well that in speaking with the opp, they had mentioned
that many many caledonia residents were deeply disappointed in the
people who were instigating the people on their side, and that many
believe that those present who were causing the disruption, were not
residents of Caledonia and that they were outsiders who's main intent
was to instigate trouble. and that they did. they were given a time
frame to dismantle their people and allow the Onkwehonweh to continue
with our offering of opening the road, and when they refused to move,
at the end of that time frame, the concensus of the people was to dig
the road up and a backhoe was brought in to begin that process. Again,
the opp asked for more time to persuade their people to go home, and
the digging stopped but their people refused to move.

At one point in the afternoon some of the non-native protesters began
trying to come around the side of the opp and rush toward our people.
The men and women stood in defense of our position and at least 30 of
our people were peppersprayed, a couple of our people were taken to
the hospital, and several of the caledonia people were hurt in the
scuffle. again, we were able to bring our people back to refrain from
any further escalations of violence, however, the mood at this point
was indeed tense.

By evening there were anywhere from 250 to 300 caledonia citizens in
their human blockade and most of the people of Six Nations had
gathered in solidarity behind our barricade. the opp had called in
extra support from all over the surrounding areas, and at one point
the riot squad had gathered in hopes of getting the caledonia people
to go home. no action was taken by the opp or riot squad, and by
around 2:30 this morning, most of the residents from the caledonia
blockade had retreated.

As of this morning at around 7:00 am., the barricade on the plank road
is still there, and the people are considering now if another show of
good faith will result in the same situation or worse, or whether we
should once again, attempt to remove the barricades to allow the
traffic to move freely through and allow our delegates to continue
with the peaceful negotiations that were scheduled to continue this
week.

We need our supporters to understand that we are continuing with our
peaceful position, that we are unarmed, and intend to maintain that
positon of Peace, on our Land, and trust in our People, in our
Kaierenekowah--the Great Law, and in our Creator and the process that
was given to us to resolve this situation to the best of our ability.
We appreciate all of the phone calls and e-mails, and I apologize if I
am unable to respond to each of your e-mails individually, but at this
moment, we are working diligently to ensure the safety of our people
at the site, and will keep everyone posted and updated as quickly as
possible. The solidarity of the Onkwehonweh people is the most
important factor in this situation and we appreciate all of those who
are standing by to support in any way that is necessary if the Crown's
representatives fail to keep the negotiations proceeding toward a
peaceful resolution.

Hazel
==========


(((((10)))))

Six Nations Resources, Information and Up-to-date News

Indigenous Coverage:

--> Gathering Place First Nations Canadian News, with reports and
photos from people visiting the support camp and blockade:
http://gatheringplacefirstnationscanews.ca/breakingnews.htm

--> If you'd like the latest info from the standoff at Caledonia you
can listen live to the local Six Nations radio station CKRZ over the
internet: http://www.ckrz.com/index.html

--> NDN News Page on Caledonia and Six Nations:
http://www.ndnnews.com/Caledonia%20Occupation.htm

--> Turtle Island Native News Network page on Six Nations:
http://www.turtleisland.org/news/news-sixnations.htm

More Information:

--> Settlers in Support of Indigenous Sovereignty Six Nations
Solidarity Page: http://sisis.nativeweb.org/actionalert/

--> Six Nations Caledonia Resource Page by Autonomy and Solidarity:
http://auto_sol.tao.ca/node/view/2012?PHPSESSID=6636d4771ff904c3899dfc6202cb0186
==========


(((((11)))))

No One Is Illegal-Montreal - In Solidarity with The Six Nations

As a collective of individuals from racialized/migrant backgrounds, in
occupied Kanien'keha:ka territory, we stand in solidarity with the
people in Six Nations and denounce the violent actions of the
government of canada and the province of Ontario in attempting to
quell the resistance and struggle for self-determination of a
sovereign nation. These actions are the mere extension of a colonial
ideology that forms the historical legacy of canada.

As a collective fighting for the right to self-determinaton of
migrants, refugees and Indigenous Peoples, we affirm the clear link
between colonial – and neo-colonial forces, capitalist globalization
and the displacement of people throughout the world. These same forces
operate to displace Indigenous peoples here on Turtle Island and in
the Global South.

We reject and denounce the canadian government's right to label entire
communities as "illegals", "undocumented" or "status Indian" and
reaffirm that such practices aim at reinforcing an apartheid system
built on the genocide and dispossession of Indigenous Peoples.

We denounce the systematic criminalization of Indigenous and Migrant
communities, under the cover of the so-called "war on terror", which
justifies the militarization and occupation of sovereign nations
globally and here on Turtle Island.

We assert that canada's direct attempts at annihilating Indigenous
Peoples via the the use of overt military violence and the forced
displacement of entire communities have been enforced and sustained by
institutionalized systems of oppression: bureaucratic mechanisms,
racist political constructs and economic rationalizations.

As such, we denounce the current structures put in place by the
government of kanada as illegitimate and mere attempts at continuing
the century-old practice of dictating the form, style and parameters
of "Indian" government, and we recognize the legitimate right for the
Six Nations to be dealt with on a nation-to-nation basis.

We assert that the situations portrayed as "confrontations" between
Indigenous communities and the state, cast by the media and
policy-makers as ahistorical incidences of civil disobedience and
social breakdown are the inevitable consequence of a struggle against
external domination, and for sovereignty and self-determination.

**We affirm our solidarity with the Six Nations community in calling for :

- a withdrawal of OPP and other colonial forces from the Six Nations
territory
- an immediate end to construction by Henco Industries
- a
just resolution, based on a nation-to-nation process, as demanded by
the Clan Mothers.

**We endorse and support the demands of the Six Nations Clan Mothers :

1. The Six Nations are distinct original nations.  We are to be dealt
with on a nation-to-nation basis by the Crown and all other nations.

2. The Crown must respect our original relationship as set out in the
Two Row Wampum, our jurisdiction as provided in our constitution, the
Kaiannereh'ko:wa, and as respected by Sections 109 and  132 of the BNA
Act, 1867 and according to international covenants that Canada has
signed.

3. We are to be dealt with on a nation-to-nation basis, as was the
custom before Canada separated from the British Empire. Respect for
the independent international status of the Six Nations by Canada was
established before Canada achieved recognition as a state or gained
the ability to sign treaties on its own.  The independent
international identity of the Six Nations identity has never been
legally extinguished.

4. The band councils were established with procedures that violated
international law.  They continue to function as colonizing
institutions.  We have never consented to their establishment nor
their representing us.

5. Canada and all its politicians, bureaucrats, agents, assignees and
appointees should cease and desist immediately their attempt to
criminalize and apprehend our people for defending what is rightfully
ours, the land to which we hold title.  Any further action by Canada,
Ontario and their agents shall be viewed as being a direct violation
of the Two Row Wampum, the constitutional accord between the
Ratino'shon:ni and Canada and international law.

6. The claims of Canada and the province of Ontario to have a right to
legislate for the Rotino'shon:ni Six Nations and to grant private
title to our land has no foundation in law.
==========


(((((12)))))

Ottawa temporarily lifts arrest warrant : Angela Portnoy free

http://www.southerngazette.ca/index.cfm?iid=1403&sid=10108

BY GAZETTE STAFF
The Southern Gazette

Angela Portnoy is now free to receive medical care for herself and for
her unborn child.

She's also free to give birth in a local hospital without fear of
arrest and deportation.

Portnoy Family Support Committee co-chair JoAnne Mallay-Jones
exclaimed "we are very pleased to report that Canadian Immigration
authorities and the Canadian Border Services Agency have agreed to
lift the arrest warrants against the Portnoy family until Aug. 18, so
that Angela Portnoy can receive the medical care she requires prior to
giving birth and so that she can give birth to her baby in the
hospital without fear of imminent arrest, detention or deportation."

After Aug. 18 the Canadian Border Services expect Mrs. Portnoy to
prepare for deportation but her husband, Alexi, insists that will not
happen.

Lawyer Lee Cohen in Halifax, who has been actively engaged in this
case on behalf of the Portnoy family since early January indicated
this development is significant.

"Angela's pregnancy due date is quickly approaching and the health of
her unborn child has always been an issue for us, because Angela has
always been forbidden the right to go to a hospital for treatment. We
feared Angela having a problematic birth in a non-hospital environment
and this has been an extreme source of anxiety for her.

"That has all changed now. Angela can now concentrate on her own needs
and the needs of her new baby."

Mr. Cohen said the government informed him "the health and safety of
Angela and the child were foremost on their mind and this could only
be assured by giving Angela access to a hospital."

The Portnoy Support Committee is confident this decision, relayed to
it Wednesday, is related directly to the persistence of the community
in demonstrating to the federal government its support for this family
and visibility of this case in the media. A relieved Mrs. Mallay-Jones
remarked "we can not adequately describe to you how relieved Angela is
to receive this news. In such difficult times, and such struggle, a
weight has been lifted from Angela's shoulders."

Co-chair Marystown Mayor Sam Synard explained the committee was
ecstatic with this latest development and encouraged by the
announcement.

"In the larger picture, this is but one victory for Angela in a long
unfinished process. We reaffirm that the community stands strong
behind the Portnoy family in their bid to have their children's best
interests served as mandated by the Canadian Charter Rights of the
Child through the Humanitarian and Compassionate Application that is
being submitted on behalf of the Portnoy's children."

Mrs.Mallay-Jones agreed but suggested the community had to continue to
give voice to the rights of these innocent children.

"It is the humane thing to do. Immigration Law must be consistent with
what our society values as families are the threads of our social
fabric."

The Support Committee will continue to lobby the federal government to
lift the deportation order against the family and to consider the best
interest of the four Portnoy children.

Mr. Synard insisted "we want the federal government to listen to our
community when we say that we want this family to be a permanent part
of our community."

The committee, on behalf of the Portnoy family, will be submitting it
Humanitarian and Compassionate Application to the Canadian government
this week to extinguish the existing deportation orders and to seek
permanent resident status in Canada.

Today's date marks the 234th day the Portnoy family has been in sanctuary.
==========


(((((13)))))

Ethiopian pleads for refugee status
Ottawa Sun

http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/OttawaAndRegion/2006/05/23/1592763-sun.html

By MICHAEL MANDARANO

Moti Nano, a native of Ethiopia who fled to Canada in 2001, has been
living at Ottawa's All Saints Lutheran Church since he was ordered
deported in January 2005.

Moti Nano has faced much adversity in his young life, including the
murder of his brother and repeated torture at the hands of the
oppressive Ethiopian government.

The 33-year-old Ethiopian refugee fled his African home for Canada in
2001 and has not looked back since. But in February 2004, Nano was
ordered deported after a lone adjudicator rejected his bid for refugee
status. When the deportation order was handed down on Jan. 10, 2005,
Nano found sanctuary in Ottawa's All Saints Lutheran Church, where he
has been living ever since.

The government said it will respect Nano's claim of sanctuary while at
the church.

A recent two-week stay at the Ottawa Hospital's General campus, where
he was treated for an unspecified respiratory illness, left him
vulnerable to deportation. But authorities didn't take action, and he
returned to the church recently.

"Of course, I was afraid thinking something may go wrong on our way
(from the hospital), but God protected me," said Nano, who has a
degree in political science and international relations from Addis
Ababa University. "I am feeling great and my appetite is back."

Nano, a human rights worker, fled Ethiopia after criticizing that
government's human rights record. He said he was repeatedly arrested
and beaten by Ethiopian security forces for being a member of the
Oromo ethnic group, which accounts for about 40% of the country's
population.

"(In Ethiopia) the government is a party which comes by gun, and which
always tries to be in power," Nano said. "They kill any appealing
opposition group that comes and (threatens) to take over."

BROTHER KILLED

Besides the beatings, Nano claimed he had his hair cut with broken
beer bottles and was forced to run barefoot on gravel.

He also said his brother was killed by the Tigreans for being
associated with the Oromo Liberation Front. Nano claimed to have no
political affiliation.

Nano is waiting for a decision on his application for protection on
humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

"I was a person who should have deserved a convention refugee status
as soon as I arrived in this country, let alone waiting for years and
be given a deportation order."

While a member of the opposition, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day
requested a stay of deportation for all Ethiopian refugees.

"It occurs to me that in light of the pending chaos in Ethiopia ...
that it would be a dereliction of our responsibilities as a democracy
and a champion of other democracies to compel Ethiopian citizens here
-- unless they have clearly proved themselves to be criminals -- to
return to that hopeless setting," Day wrote in December 2005.

All Saints Lutheran sanctuary committee member Paul Merkley said he's
frustrated that Day has not pursued the issue since the Conservative
victory.

"We're very disappointed that with the change of government there
hasn't been a change of attitudes towards these kinds of humanitarian
concerns," he said.

The church has sent letters to Immigration Minister Monte Solberg and
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, appealing for a stay of
deportation. The appeal has been unsuccessful so far.
==========


(((((14)))))

Family to end immigration struggle if father, son held

Andrew Seymour
CanWest News Service; Ottawa Citizen

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=040ae1be-7d4d-4f3d-9f8b-084514797eae&k=15159


Tuesday, May 23, 2006

CREDIT: Ottawa Citizen
A Belgian Family of three says they are being kicked out of Canada
Michel Van Hauve (father) his wife Suzy Myers and their son Blaise.

OTTAWA - An Ottawa family vows to give up its fight to stay in Canada
as soon as today should an adjudicator presiding over a detention
review hearing decide Michel Van Hauve and his 17-year-old son Blaise
must remain in jail.

According to Van Hauve's wife, Suzy Myers, the family will abandon its
ongoing battle with immigration officials and return to Belgium should
her husband and son not be released following the hearing at the
Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre today or Wednesday.

''If they keep him in custody he is going to give up,'' said Myers
Monday, moments after speaking with her husband by phone from the
jail.

''He's just on his knees now,'' said Myers, explaining how her
44-year-old husband has lost the will to fight from behind bars.

''It's completely ridiculous. It's inhuman, it's intolerable, it's
unbearable,'' said Myers. ''Michel is not a criminal. He's not
dangerous, he's not violent. And my son I can't bear the thought of my
son being in a cell.''

However, if Van Hauve and his son are released today, Myers said they
will remain on the farm and continue their fight to remain in Canada.

Myers, who is also the subject of an arrest warrant, spoke from a
friend's house Monday after briefly going into hiding following the
arrests.

She now says she will remain on the family farm until the matter is
resolved.

The arrest warrants have been in effect since January, when the family
went into hiding for two weeks to avoid deportation to their native
Belgium.

The family says they are being removed from the country because of a
25-year-old shoplifting conviction on Van Hauve's criminal record in
Belgium.

Monday, Van Hauve's lawyer, Warren Creates, said he expects
immigration authorities to argue for continued detention on the basis
that the Van Hauves failed to show up for the January deportation and
are a threat to do it again.

''Detention is not in this case justified,'' said Creates, adding Van
Hauve's ''spirit is broken'' after being detained.

Canada Border Services Agency spokesman Chris Kealey would not comment
Monday on whether immigration officials will seek extended detention,
but he said there are a number of reasons why they might: ''if they
have failed to appear for removal processes in the past, if they have
been unco-operative or if we believe they are a flight risk,'' said
Kealey, adding Van Hauve and his son could be released on conditions.

Creates said the Van Hauves are still awaiting an official answer on
outstanding applications for criminal rehabilitation and permanent
resident status.

''They just want a fair review of their application for permanent
residence status,'' he said. ''If that decision is negative, they will
go.''

Creates said he understands how his client feels.

''He's at the lowest of the low right now. He's a very principled guy.
When they push him this far, I can understand how this would cause him
to want to give up,'' said Creates.

Myers said the family has done everything the government has asked and
doesn't deserve to be ''persecuted'' now.

''They have put us through so many hoops and we have jumped every
time,'' she said. ''All we want is to be able to keep on doing what we
have been doing for the past eight years just a normal, regular, quiet
life.''

aseymour at thecitizen.canwest.com

Ottawa Citizen
==========


(((((15)))))

Le jeudi 25 mai 2006
"Le Canada nous a tout enlevé" - Suzy Van Hauve
Jean-François Plante

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20060525/CPACTUALITES/605250379/5199/CPDROIT

La famille Van Hauve lance la serviette, résignée à l'idée de
retourner dans son pays d'origine, la Belgique.

Suzy Van Hauve a affirmé hier que sa famille ne porterait pas sa cause
en appel devant la Cour fédérale pour éviter son expulsion du Canada.
En avant-midi, Blaise, le fils du couple avait été libéré du centre de
détention d'Ottawa après son interception en compagnie de son père et
de sa petite amie dans le cadre d'un mandat d'arrestation samedi.
Faute de fonds pour payer sa caution totalisant 10 000 $, le père est
demeuré détenu.

L'accumulation des mauvaises nouvelles au cours des derniers jours a
anéanti tous les espoirs que la famille entretenait pour demeurer au
pays en obtenant leurs statuts de résidents permanents. Le père,
Michel Van Hauve, 45 ans, souhaitait conserver son travail comme
agriculteur à une ferme de Navan à l'est d'Ottawa.

Malheureusement, M. Van Hauve n'a toujours pas obtenu son pardon pour
avoir commis un vol à l'étalage dans une épicerie de la Belgique, il y
a 25 ans. Par conséquent, le consulat canadien ainsi que les agents
d'immigration refusent de lui accorder son statut de résident
permanent même s'il travaille au Canada depuis huit ans et que son
visa de travail a été renouvelé annuellement pendant toute cette
période.

"Pendant huit ans, les agents de l'immigration étaient au courant du
dossier de vol à l'étalage. Subitement, ils décident que c'est le
temps de nous jeter comme une vieille chaussette. C'est une histoire
vieille d'un quart de siècle. Je ne comprends pas que la Belgique
n'accepte pas de pardonner Michel pour cette offense. Je sais que les
gens d'immigration n'ont pas aimé que l'on se cache pendant 15 jours
en janvier, mais il fallait s'organiser une défense. Après ça, on
s'est battu à visage découvert", a signifié Suzy Van Hauve.

Plus de détails dans notre édition du jeudi 25 mai
==========

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