Published On Wed Jul 27 2011, Toronto Star

The family of one of 30 alleged war criminals on Ottawa’s wanted list is threatening a defamation suit against the Canada Border Services Agency, following what his lawyer calls false allegations that “won’t stand up in court.” Khalil Abdul Khalil – a 76-year-old Afghan national last known to be living in Toronto – was named by Ottawa last week as an alleged war criminal subject to a warrant for removal. His was just one of almost three dozen suspects’ names and photographs posted on the CBSA website in the hopes that the public would help track them down. According to the CBSA, Khalil has “violated human or international rights under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act.” The agency also says these suspects are believed to be living in Canada illegally. But the lawyer retained by the man’s family says the depiction of Khalil as a dangerous, violent criminal is “false,” and diminishes the reputation of the man in the community. Unless the CBSA retracts the information on its website and issues an apology, the family will take legal action.

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Tom Godfrey and Rob Lamberti, Toronto Sun. Tuesday, July 26, 2011

TORONTO – New York pastor Francisco Manuel Hernandez Hernandez says he is not a wanted war criminal from El Salvador and is hoping to clear his name. Hernandez Hernandez, 42, said he has family members in Toronto and doesn’t want to be flagged by border agents during his visits to Canada. He was in shock to see his mugshot among those of 30 suspected war criminals who are on the lam from the Canada Border Services Agency. The men are believed to be hiding in Canada to avoid deportation, officials said.

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CBC News Posted: Jul 23, 2011 8:45 AM ET

A Quebec immigration lawyer is criticizing the Canadian government’s recent release of photos of 30 suspected war criminals. The photographs are displayed on a government website along with the last known places of residence of each of the 30 people. Lawyer Dan Bohbot said it undermines the idea that people in Canada are presumed innocent until proven guilty. He said the federal Immigration Act shouldn’t allow individuals to be labeled without being charged. “It’s a problem because it means that really the Immigration Act makes it very easy for the government to label individuals and make them inadmissible in Canada. So really, you have a situation where a lot of people are found inadmissible or excluded from defintion of refugees,” said Bohbot.

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No One Is Illegal dropped a large banner which read: “Canada Jails Refugees” above Highway 1 in Vancouver/Burnaby this morning during rush-hour traffic. The group also stickered and plastered the offices of Immigration Canada with messages to scrap Bill C-4. The actions were in response to the reintroduction of Human Smuggling Bill C-4 that targets refugees for mandatory imprisonment and deportation.

* More photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nooneisillegal/

NOII-Van is also releasing NEW material for our members, friends and supporters to disseminate in this fight against Bill C-4:

1) Info flyer and poster (English) and poster (Multilingual) about Bill C-4.

2) Factsheet ‘Myths about Kenney’s Immigration Record and 10 Reasons to Stop the Tories’. Disseminate widely.

3) I am a Human Smuggler series updated! Harriet Tubman Poster, Sticker, Flyer and Irena Sendler Poster, Sticker, Flyer. JPGs are here.

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SCRAP ANTI-MIGRANT BILL C-4!
STOP KENNEY, HARPER AND THE TORIES!

The People v. Kenney
Freedom to move
Right to stay, and to Return
We are many.

September 19, 2011 Update: As of September 19, 2011, Human Smuggling Bill C4 has been re-tabled in Parliament by the Conservative majority and is up for debate as a priority legislation. According to Karl Nerenberg, reporting on the Parliamentary debate “During today’s debate, Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth revealed the bill’s true motivation when he referred to the refugee-claimants this proposed law would target as “queue jumpers.” These folks “cutting in on line” slow the process for “legitimate” refugees who patiently wait their turn, the Conservative MP claimed. The fact that there is no such thing as a “refugee queue” is, apparently, beside the point.”

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Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and Minister of Censorship and Deportation Jason Kenney have announced that they are re-introducing Human Smuggling Bill C4 (previously Bill C49). This is despite previous Bill C49 being rejected by all opposition parties and hundreds of community, legal, health, human rights, and migrant justice groups.

This is a bill modeled after Australia’s internationally condemned policies of mandatory detention and human rights abuses against asylum-seekers. This bill proposes mandatory detention without review by the Immigration and Refugee board for 12 months; denial of the right to apply for permanent resident status until five years have passed since favourable determination of the protection claim; denial of access to relief based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, temporary resident permits or refugee travel documents for five years or longer; and denial of the right to appeal an unfavourable determination of protection claim to the Refugee Appeal Division of the board. The full text of the Bill is here: http://bit.ly/irB3jm

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