eBulletin – January 28, 2012

“Stop Unjust Extradition Proceedings”

In this issue:

1. “J’Accuse” Dramatic Readings – Toronto, Feb 3, 2012
2. Hassan Supporters Rally at Dept of Justice
3. Letter from CUSJ to Minister Nicholson
4. How You Can Help


1. “J’Accuse” Dramatic Readings – Toronto, Feb 3, 2012

Join us for an evening of powerful dramatic readings from Hassan Diab, Emile Zola, and others who have broken the silence and spoken out about the injustices they face.

Attorney Barbara Jackman will also speak at this event and Hassan Diab will read poems he has written. This event is free and open to the public.

When: Friday February 3, 2012, at 7:30 pm

Where: Music Room, Hart House, University of Toronto, 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto, Ontario

Map: http://g.co/maps/msrtu

In 1894 Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish French soldier, was charged with treason. The accusation, based on fraudulent handwriting analysis, unleashed waves of anti-Semitism. Eminent French writer Emile Zola wrote J’Accuse to expose “the spectre of the innocent man who, far away, is suffering the most atrocious of tortures for a crime he did not commit — It is a crime to exploit patriotism for works of hate.”

Right now, exactly repeating the past, France rests its case against Hassan Diab on the basis of fraudulent handwriting analysis. In this climate of Islamophobia, France has asked the Canadian government to extradite Hassan Diab where he faces an unfair trial that could land him in jail for life.

For more information:
Visit http://www.justiceforhassandiab.org or http://www.scienceforpeace.ca/j-accuse
Email diabsupport@gmail.com


2. Hassan Supporters Rally at Dept of Justice

On Friday January 20, 2012, human rights activists, friends, and supporters of Hassan Diab braved the bitter cold and gathered outside the Department of Justice to hand-deliver a petition to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson.

The petition, signed by hundreds of individuals and organizations, calls on Minister Nicholson to immediately halt extradition proceedings against Dr. Diab and to refuse to hand over Dr. Diab to France.

“I appeal to the Minister of Justice, Mr. Rob Nicholson, to put an end to the unjust case against me… I ask that Canadian standards of evidence be applied in extradition cases, and that I be given the same rights to defend myself as any other Canadian,” said Dr. Diab, who joined supporters outside the Department of Justice before the petition was delivered.

Also speaking at the rally, Matthew Behrens from Stop Canadian Involvement in Torture said, “The law says that the Minister must refuse ‘unjust and oppressive’ extraditions. And handing Hassan over to France would definitely be unjust and oppressive. Why? A Canadian judge has already stated this case would not fly in Canada! So why force Hassan to go to France over this cooked-up case? This clearly has more to do with politics than justice. The Minister must say ‘no’ to France!”

Other speakers at the rally were Roch Tassé, Coordinator of the International Civil Liberties
Monitoring Group; Dr. Monia Mazigh, human rights advocate and wife of Maher Arar; Rev. Frances Deverell, President of the Canadian Unitarians For Social Justice; and Mike Palacek, Canadian Union of Postal Workers.

PressTV video of the event

Ottawa Citizen article about the event


3. Letter from CUSJ to Minister Nicholson

Earlier this month, the Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice (CUSJ) sent a letter to the Minister of Justice, Mr. Rob Nicholson, expressing their deep concern about Dr. Hassan Diab’s case.

“We urge you to protect a Canadian citizen’s constitutional human rights. We are counting on you to exercise your power as Minister of Justice to stop any extradition proceedings against Dr. Hassan Diab. Unless reliable evidence by the French Government is presented you have, in our view, the legal obligation to stop this extradition.

We also call upon you and the Government of Canada to start procedures in order to reform the present Canadian Extradition Act.

A reformed Extradition Law should clearly show that Canada respects and upholds its Human Rights Obligations. This includes:

1) presumption of innocence;
2) the right to a fair trial;
3) the right to full disclosure of evidence.

The Act should protect all persons in Canada from unjust and abusive extradition
practices.”

Read the full letter from CUSJ at:

http://www.justiceforhassandiab.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CUSJ_to_Nicholson_Jan2012.pdf


4. How You Can Help

Take a stand against unjust extradition proceedings. Stand up for human rights and the presumption of innocence. Demand that Canadian standards of evidence apply in extradition cases.

There are various ways to help…

(a) WRITE to the Minister of Justice, Mr. Rob Nicholson (rob.nicholson@parl.gc.ca), and urge him NOT to surrender Hassan. A sample letter is available:

(Please share a copy of your letter with diabsupport@gmail.com)

(b) CALL or WRITE to Hassan Diab’s M.P. Paul Dewar of the NDP party, and ask him to contact the Minister of Justice on behalf of Hassan Diab.

Phone: (613) 996-5322 or (613) 946-8682
Email: paul.dewar@parl.gc.ca

(c) DONATE to Hassan Diab’s legal defence fund. To donate, visit: http://www.justiceforhassandiab.org/donate


Hassan Diab Support Committee
Email: diabsupport@gmail.com
Web: http://www.justiceforhassandiab.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/justiceforhassandiab
Twitter: http://twitter.com/justiceforhdiab
Blog: http://friendsofhassandiab.blogspot.com


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