[van-announce] Rally Wed July 30: Bring Khadr back to Canada!

[Derrick O'Keefe]

*Please forward widely* 

Tell Stephen Harper: Bring Omar Khadr back to Canada!

Date:Wednesday, July 30, 2008Time:5:30pmLocation:Vancouver Art GalleryStreet:Robson Street
Endorsed by StopWar.ca 

Canadian
citizen Omar Khadr is the only Western national left in Guantanamo Bay,
and the first child-soldier to be prosecuted in more than a hundred
years. Khadr was only 15 years-old when he was captured by US forces in
Afghanistan and later transported to the infamous US prison where he
has now spent more than a quarter of his life. Khadr faces trial by US
military tribunal in October 2008.

Recently released video
footage reveals the kind of mistreatment that Khadr has experienced in
Guantanamo Bay, where the US has been accused of practicing torture on
detainees. Other reports show that Khadr was subjected to extreme forms
of sleep deprivation, a form of torture, including a practice called
the "frequent flyer program" in which he was woken every three hours
and moved to a different cell for 24 hours a day over a three-week
period.

Worse still, court documents reveal that the Canadian
government was aware of the abuse suffered by Khadr at the hands of US
authorities yet continued to assure the Canadian public that he was
being well treated.

The fact that Omar Khadr is still being held
in Guantanamo Bay is a national disgrace, and an international
embarrassment for all Canadians. Despite the growing evidence of
Khadr's mistreatment, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has shamefully
refused to bring Khadr back to Canada. Instead, Harper has said he
supports a US military trial for Khadr, and will not seek his release
from Guantanamo Bay.

A rally is being held in Toronoto on
July 30th and I say we hold one here as well to show our solidarity! No
matter who you are or what your background is, everyone has the right
to a fair trial and no one should be tortured and jailed for this long
without any kind of evidence or charge. Evidence under torture is no
evidence. Omar Khadr is not guilty just because of who he is or who he
has connections with. 

We will meet at the Art Gallery and hold a rally there.
_________________________________________________________________