[van-announce] Rally to Stop Deportation Friday

[noii-van at resist.ca]

PROTEST THE DEPORTATION OF PARVEEN KAZMI !!!
RALLY FOR JUSTICE
Friday December 5 @ 10 am
Immigration offices, 300 West Georgia Street

STOP HER DEPORTATION TODAY !!!

* No One is Illegal- Vancouer is organizing a solidarity rally in support
of Parveen Kazmi, a Pakistani woman facing imminent deportation from
Montreal to Karachi on Dec 6, and all other Pakistani refugees who have
been deported on an unprecedented weekly basis. This is an EXTREMELY
URGENT callout for support and we encourage all allies to protest the
ongoing attack on immigrants and refugees.

- also see below for sample letter-

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Mrs. Kazmi, a 53 year woman, has been living in Montreal for over five
years. She was forced to be separated from her six children and husband
when she fled to Canada in 1998.

Mrs. Kazmi is from Karachi, where for over twenty years in the years of
mid 1970’s- 1990’s she was an incredibly active member of the political
party MQM. She was the coordinator of the Womens Caucus of the party for
seven years, actively involved in bringing womens issues such as
education, poverty, and gender persecution to the forefront of political
issues in the city.

In 1998, her niece’s husband, who was Consular General of MQM for their
local district, raped a younger member of their family. Mrs. Kazmi
confronted him and when he refused to speak with her, she took the matter
directly to higher leaders within the MQM party in Karachi. There too, she
was faced with ridicule and threats to not bring false allegations against
upstanding members of MQM.

One week later after this incident, the Consular General of their local
district, arrived at her house where she was alone at the time. He
threatened her and taunted her that she should not have gone to the party
leaders and proceeded to physically assault her while repeating “you will
learn your lesson too“. Her screams and her resistance saved her life as
neighbours started to bang on the door.

After this incident, she proceeded to file a report with the police, but
given the close ties between the police force and MQM party leader, they
refused to file any report or conduct an investigation. Within a few
weeks, Mrs. Kazmi submitted her resignation as a member of the MQM. This
incident received much media attention at the local level.

Within a few months, her niece divorced the local Consular General due to
continuing incidents of domestic assault and despite the social stigma,
Mrs Kazmi and her niece were even more motivated to organize around womens
issues and joined the Pakistan Peoples Party in June 1998.

However, during this period Mrs Kazmi and her family continued to receive
threats from members of the MQM. They entered her house and physically
assaulted with weapons her young sons, followed her children and husband
to work, and attempted to assault her several times. With this growing
fear, she fled to Canada as an asylum-seeker.

Since her arrival in November 1998, she has been working. She has been
separated from her children and husband, who remain in Pakistan in hiding.
Weeks after her departure from Karachi, her 10-year old son was brutally
beaten and hospitalized. Since then, her family has remained in hiding,
forcing her children to miss large periods of time from school. Given the
mounting anxiety since the rejection of her refugee claim, her separation
from her family, and all the trauma and struggle she faced in Karachi, she
has been hospitalized three times in Montreal with severe depression after
three suicide attempts in the past year. Her Medicare is now expired and
she and her doctors are extremely concerned about the effects of the
inability of her to receive treatment.

Mrs. Kazmi is due to be deported on December 6. If deported back, she will
surely face unimaginable horrors of rape, torture and death.

There has been mounting support for her case, particularly from several
womens organizations and we STRONGLY URGE all supporters to please write
in to express your support for Mrs. Kazmi. This deportation must be
stopped!

Solidarity and struggle
Action Committee for Pakistani Refugees, No One is Illegal Montreal, REBEL
Desis.
Contact nooneisillegal at tao.ca. Call 514-244-2461/ 812-0858

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MASSIVE CALL CAMPAIGN
FLOOD THE OFFICE WITH CALLS
*** René D'Aoust director of Investigations and Removals: (514) 496-1238 ***

Points to emphasize in your call:
- Her deportation be stopped and she be allowed to remain in Canada -The
grave danger she has faced and will face if deported
- Her contribution to Canadian society over the past five years.

*** SAMPLE LETTER *** TAKE ACTION !!!
PRESSURE ON MINISTER CODERRE

Please be polite but firm in letters, and see below for sample letter with
important points to stress in your phone call, fax or email.

* The contact information of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration,
Denis Coderre:
Phone: (613) 957-0312
Fax: (613) 957-2688
Email: Minister at cic.gc.ca

His Montreal Constituency Office(s)
Phone: (514) 323-1212
Fax: (514) 323-2875
Email: Coderd1 at parl.gc.ca


November 27, 2003

Honourable Minister Coderre:

I would like to draw your particular attention to the case of Parveen
Kazmi. Mrs. Kazmi, a 53 year woman, has been living in Montreal for over
five years and is facing deportation to Pakistan on December 6. She was
forced to be separated from her six children and husband when she fled to
Canada in 1998.

Mrs. Kazmi is from Karachi, where for over twenty years in the years of
mid 1970’s- 1990’s she was an incredibly active member of the political
party MQM. She was the coordinator of the Womens Caucus of the party for
seven years, actively involved in bringing womens issues such as
education, poverty, and gender persecution to the forefront of political
issues in the city. In 1998, her niece’s husband, who was Consular General
of MQM for their local district, raped a younger member of their family
and when confronted, he brutally assaulted Mrs. Kazmi as well. After this
incident, she proceeded to file a report with the police, but given the
close ties between the police force and MQM party leader, they refused to
file any report or conduct an investigation. Within a few weeks, Mrs.
Kazmi submitted her resignation as a member of the MQM. This incident
received much media attention at the local level.

During this period Mrs Kazmi and her family continued to receive threats
from members of the MQM. They entered her house and physically assaulted
with weapons her young sons, followed her children and husband to work,
and attempted to assault her several times. With this growing fear, she
fled to Canada as an asylum-seeker.

Since her arrival in November 1998, she has been working. She has been
separated from her children and husband, who remain in Pakistan in hiding.
Weeks after her departure from Karachi, her 10-year old son was brutally
beaten and hospitalized. Since then, her family has remained in hiding,
forcing her children to miss large periods of time from school. Given the
mounting anxiety since the rejection of her refugee claim, her separation
from her family, and all the trauma and struggle she faced in Karachi, she
has been hospitalized three times in Montreal with severe depression after
three suicide attempts in the past year.

I urge you to please consider the mounting support for the family from
various student groups, womens groups, media outlets, members of political
parties, and community organizations. You, Minister Coderre, carry immense
discretionary powers to stop this deportation and I urge you to intervene
in their case and demonstrate a commitment to values of compassion and
dignity. On humanitarian and compassionate grounds you should intervene
immediately to allow Parveen Kazmi the right to remain in Canada and be
granted regularized status immediately.

Sincerely,

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