[van-announce] StopWar general meeting Wed. (Nov.8, March 18, prosecuting GWB)...

[Derrick O'Keefe]

A reminder that the general meeting of StopWar.ca will be tomorrow 
(Wednesday) at 5.30 p.m. at the Maritime Labour Centre (111 Victoria Dr.).

We will be planning for our November 8 Haiti film night, and getting updates 
on the war resisters campaign and on plans for the big March 18 
mobilization.

Also at the meeting Gail Davidson will give an update of LAW's prosecution 
of George Bush and let StopWar members know how we can help.  This is a very 
interesting development, so hopefully many of you will be able to attend.

*Please note that the David Rovics-Norman Solomon event announced earlier 
this fall has been cancelled*

****


Gag Order Lifted On Canadian Torture Charges Against Bush

______________________________________________________________________________

October 18th 2005 – Vancouver B.C.

Lawyers Against the War (LAW) is claiming a victory in its battle to have 
George W. Bush face charges in Canada for torture.



The charges stem from the notorious cases of torture practiced by U.S. 
forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. They were laid on the 
occasion of George W. Bush’s controversial visit to Canada in November 2004. 
  The charges were laid under sections of the Canadian Criminal Code enacted 
pursuant to the United Nations Torture Convention which requires 
extra-territorial jurisdiction to be exercised against officials, even Heads 
of State, who authorize or are otherwise responsible for torture.



On Monday, the Supreme Court of BC quashed an order banning publication of 
everything having to do with the charges imposed when they were first laid. 
In a secret hearing, held December 6th 2004 in B.C. Provincial Court, the 
charges against Bush were rejected on the basis of arguments by the Attorney 
General of British Columbia that the visiting president was shielded from 
prosecution by diplomatic immunity. A ban on publication of anything to do 
with the proceedings was also imposed.



The secrecy, the immunity claim and the ban are vigorously opposed by LAW, 
who appealed all aspects of the decision.



On Monday, Justice Satanove of the Supreme Court of British Columbia quashed 
the ban on publication after government lawyers failed to come up with any 
argument to defend it. The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association had 
intervened on the side of LAW against the ban.



“This is a very important victory”, said Gail Davidson, who laid the charges 
and, along with Howard Rubin, argued the case for LAW, “because it ensures 
that the proceedings will be scrutinized by people in Canada and throughout 
the world, to make sure that the law is applied fairly and properly and, 
above all, to make sure that Bush doesn’t get away with torture.”



“The American legal system seems incapable of bringing him to justice and 
there are no international courts with jurisdiction. So it’s up to Canada to 
enforce the law that everybody has signed on to but nobody else seems 
willing to apply.”



The next hearing in the case will take place on November 25th 2005, at 10:00 
a.m. at the B.C. Supreme Court, 800 Smithe Street, Vancouver, B.C., when 
government lawyers have said they will argue that the case is no longer 
“moot” because the Attorney General of Canada has not yet consented to the 
prosecution. Toronto law professor Michael Mandel, co-chair of LAW, calls 
this argument “bogus”: “He’s still guilty of torture, he’s still on the 
loose and we still have our obligations under the UN Convention to bring 
torturers to justice.”

Contacts:

Michael Mandel, Tel: +1 416 736-5039: Fax: +1 416-736-5736; 
MMandel at osgoode.yorku.ca

Gail Davidson,  Tel: +1 604 738 0338; Fax: 604 736 1175; law at portal.ca