MOHAMMAD MAHJOUB CLOSE TO DEATH – AUTHORITIES REFUSE HOSPITALIZATION

RALLY 5-6 PM AT ART GALLERY (ROBSON SIDE) FRI SEP 23
24 HOUR VIGIL FRI SEP 23 6 PM UNTIL SAT SEP 23 6 PM
We encourage you to wear black. Bring banners and placards.

On Day 77 of his hunger strike, Mohammad Mahjoub is very weak and in constant pain. After 5 years of detention on secret evidence and without being charged, he does not wish to end his hunger strike, saying that it is the only way left for him to fight for his dignity and that of his family.

Mahjoub had asked to be hospitalized and yesterday September 20, he was taken to the hospital in Toronto after pressure on government authorities from friends, family and supporters across Canada. Mahjoub and his family hoped that while he was hospitalized, health care authorities would be able to properly investigate the conditions which have led to his hunger strike, including his Hepatitis C, and his knee injury. Instead Mohammad had a few tests and was taken back to the prison. He was told he did not need to be hospitalized for another two weeks. This is contrary to independent physician Dr. Pritchard’s report which states he needs to be hooked up to a heart monitor machine because there is a high risk of cardiac arrhythmia and there are signs he may already have kidney damage, which will worsen if the hunger strike continues.

Mahjoub, a secret trial detainee held over five years without charge or bail on secret evidence, is demanding from his solitary confinement cell immediate hospitalization to monitor his vital signs during this critical, dangerous phase of his hunger strike; a liver biopsy to check the progression of Hepatitis C contracted in the detention centre, and related medical treatment; and touch visits with his two young children, aged 6 and 8.

Mohammed Mahjoub is one of the five “Secret Trial Five” whose lives have been torn apart by accusations that they are not allowed to fight in a fair and independent trial. All five men were arrested under “Security Certificates,” a measure of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) that has been described by Amnesty International as “fundamentally flawed and unfair”. Security certificates and secret evidence reverse the fundamental rule of innocent until proven guilty. Neither the detainee nor his lawyer are informed of the precise allegations or provided with the full information against him. They are imprisoned indefinitely without charges on secret evidence and face deportation to their countries of origin, even if there is a substantial risk of torture or death.

During a delegation in Toronto, Mona Elfouli (Mohammed’s partner) was told by government officials that in the end, it was in Mr. Mahjoub’s hands. Elfouli directly told them that no, it was in the hands of the government, and that she would hold them responsible should Mohammed die. Ontario Premier McGuinty, only sent out a junior staffer with no authority who promised nothing, not even a commitment to a process to deal with the issues raised by the hunger strike. Similar actions have taken place in Montreal, Ottawa and other cities.

We strongly urge you to join us here in Vancouver for a 24-hour vigil in support of Mohammed and to continue to write or call McGuinty and Kwinter, who will have blood on their hands should Mohammed die in custody. The pressure must be kept on until our brother’s demands are met.