BCCLA Report Criticizes Canada’s Adoption
of U.N.
Security Council’s Terrorist Blacklist
by BCCLA
The BC
Civil Liberties Association is launching a report today at UBC’s law
school on the UN’s 1267 Regime – an international blacklist Canada has
adopted that is held out to be targeting alleged terrorist affiliates of the
Taliban and al Qaeda.
The report concludes that the system violates Canadian
constitutional and international law.
Robert
Holmes, President of the BCCLA: “In the fight against terrorism,
it is crucial that we do not lose sight of what we are fighting for. Liberty, justice,
freedom – none of that can be secure if we do not protect the rule of
law.”
In June
of this year, the BCCLA, along with the International Civil Liberties
Monitoring Group and Abousfian Abdelrazik – the only Canadian citizen
on the 1267 blacklist – launched a lawsuit in Federal Court challenging
Canada’s
implementation of the sanctions regime.
“Courts
and commentators the world over have described the 1267 Regime as
Kafka-esque, and with little wonder,” said Carmen Cheung, author of the
report and co-counsel in the constitutional challenge. “Lack of
transparency, lack of due process, and lack of respect for fundamental
principles of justice have been the hallmarks of this sanctions
regime.”
The
1267 Regime has been characterized as violating fundamental principles of due
process and human rights by Canada’s Federal Court, the United
Nations’ own experts, the European Court of Justice, and the United
Kingdom’s highest court. Nonetheless, Canada makes use of it through
its own laws, government policies and police practices. The
BCCLA’s report considers the legality of Canada’s continued
participation in the 1267 Regime and finds that it fails to live up to its
obligations under international law and Canada’s constitution.
October
28, 2010
For Immediate Release
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