Amnesty International welcomes today’s long-overdue order for the release of Canadian-Lebanese dual citizen Hassan Diab from pre-trial detention in France, following a court ruling dismissing all allegations against him. “His release today is not only long overdue, it is testament to the glaring human rights violations he has suffered during close to 38 months of imprisonment … Read more
National Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan (Vancouver South, B.C.) and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland (University-Rosedale, Ont.) annouced New Ministerial Directions against Mistreatment providing guidance to the Department of National Defence, Canadian Armed Forces, Communications Security Establishment and Global Affairs Canada. In response, Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada said: “The new Directions announced today are … Read more
A group of 26 Indigenous peoples’ organizations and civil society groups are calling on Ministers from the federal, provincial and territorial governments to initiate a process of reform to address long-standing shortcomings in Canada’s implementation of international human rights obligations. “As a group, we have brought forward a practical framework and principles for urgently-needed reform … Read more
In a briefing paper, From Promise to Reality, Amnesty International Canada presented federal, provincial and territorial ministers with 10 recommendations to guide their efforts to closing Canada’s long-standing human rights implementation gap. “For decades, measures needed to achieve full implementation of critical human rights agreements have been neglected,” said Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada’s English … Read more
The Canadian Coalition on Human Rights in China released an Open Letter calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) to place human rights at the top of his agenda during his visit to China this week. In the letter, the 15-member coalition calls on Trudeau to ensure focussed attention and top priority is given to the human rights … Read more
Amnesty International welcomes the federal government’s promise of a rights-based national housing strategy aimed at improving access to housing in Canada. “The adoption of a human rights-based national housing strategy, backed up by legislation, is a positive step toward fulfilling Canada’s international legal obligations to uphold economic, social and cultural rights,” says Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty … Read more
Amnesty International welcomes the commitment by Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada Jody Wilson-Raybould (Vancouver-Granville, B.C.) to support Private Member’s Bill C-262 toward implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. “As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has stated, full implementation of the UN Declaration is an essential element of reconciliation with Indigenous … Read more
Amnesty International is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) to raise pressing human rights concerns during his visits to the Philippines and Vietnam this week. The organization highlighted opportunities to demonstrate much-needed leadership in addressing grave crises including the Philippines’ deadly ‘war on drugs’, detention of prisoners of conscience in Viet Nam and … Read more
The interim report released by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls makes recommendations for immediate action, many of which were set out in previous reports. “Minister of Indigenous-Crown Relations and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett has said repeatedly that the federal government wouldn’t wait for the Inquiry’s final report before addressing well-known gaps … Read more
Over 40 prominent civil society organizations, elected officials, university professors and professionals have sent letters in support of human rights activist Chelsea Manning, who was recently turned away at the Canadian border. The letters are united in their call to reverse the government’s decision to bar Manning from Canada, and were submitted by her legal counsel as … Read more
