Monday, September 29, 2014

Canada: live up to your commitment sign the treaty to stop torture



Canada: SIGN HERE
Your signature can Stop Torture

Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi was beaten to death in Iran's Evin prison in 2003. Why isn’t Canada making sure this never happens again?
If you ever found yourself in trouble while traveling or working abroad, wouldn’t you want your government to be there for you?

Of course you would.

Canada, unfortunately, has weakened its influence in defending you or any other Canadian who might have the misfortune of being arbitrarily detained because it hasn’t signed a key treaty to prevent torture.
It said it would. But it hasn’t.  And this is no small matter.

Please use your voice to ask Canada to do the right thing and sign the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture


It’s important to you and every human that Canada signs because there are two truths we can share after 50 years of defending human rights:

1. People get detained overseas for all sorts of unjust or invalid reasons
2. Many people who are detained overseas are tortured

As an Amnesty International supporter, you probably know that people get detained in some countries for what you and I consider our basic freedoms:
  • writing an article that criticizes the government
  • promoting the rights of women
  • poking fun at religion on facebook
  • belonging to the “wrong” religious faith
  • being gay or speaking out to protect the rights of the gay population
  • supporting a political party that opposes the ruling party, even 
  • mistaken identity

At Amnesty International, we’re working right now to defend people detained for every one of these unjust, arbitrary reasons. 
Zara Kazemi was arrested when simply taking photos of people who were inquiring after family members who had been detained.
On the more disturbing issue of torture, we know that in spite its near universal illegality, torture has happened in 141 countries in every region of the world in the last 5 years
Amnesty International believes with 100% conviction that torture is inhumane and can never be justified, and must be abolished in all circumstances. Yet governments everywhere are increasingly turning a blind eye to torture.

Torture happens behind closed doors. The Optional Protocol will open the doors to independent monitoring of detention centres. No one was watching when Kazemi was tortured to death in detention in 2003.
 
10 years after this tragic loss of Zahra Kazemi's life, it's time for Canada to strengthen its voice by being a part of this important global treaty.  

Urge Canada to put its signature on this key treaty to Stop Torture.

alex_neve_mission.jpg  

Alex Neve, Secretary General, Amnesty International Canada 

P.S. 73 countries, including many of Canada’s closest allies, have signed on to the treaty. With the use of torture so prevalent around the world, Canada should be pushing other countries to become parties to the Optional Protocol as part of a wider effort to eradicate torture around the world. But how can that happen if Canada itself has not ratified? Urge Canada to Sign

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