Upcoming Events

QUICK GLANCE:

MONDAY JAN 8th- Confronting White Privilege (4:30-6pm)

WEDNESDAY JAN 10th- Sustainable Purchasing Coalition General Meeting (5pm)

WEDNESDAY JAN 10th- The Corporation film screening(5:30pm)

THURSDAY JAN 11th- Books to Prisoners Kickoff (3pm)

SATURDAY JAN 13th- Social Justice: From Rhetoric to Action (1:30pm) OFF CAMPUS

ACTION: Detainees Release Open Letter from Gitmo North

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

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MONDAY JAN 8th- Confronting White Privilege

Robert Jensen, professor in the School of Journalism, University of Texas
at Austin, will give a public lecture, titled "Confronting White Privilege".
Audience questions will be taken following the lecture.

4:30-6pm
109 Accolade West Bldg.
Jensen is the author of The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism
and White Privilege, San Francisco: City Lights Books, 2005.
Book signing to follow. Everyone welcome.
His visit is sponsored by York's School of Kinesiology & Health Science,
LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence & Conflict Resolution, Faculty
of Arts and Stong College.
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WEDNESDAY JAN 10- Sustainable Purchasing Coalition General Meeting

The Sustainable Purchasing Coalition invites you to the General Member’s
Meeting.
Are you interested in fair trade, No Sweat, Green Purchasing, Ethical
Investment? Come and learn more about promoting sustainable practices at York.

5pm
Student Centre room 430

For more information: imrakad@yorku.ca

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WEDNESDAY JAN 10- Film Screening of the Corporation

York Animal Rights Group (of OPIRG York) Presents:

 The Corporation

A scathing indictment of today’s corporate culture, by Canadian documentary
filmmakers, Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott & Joel Bakam

5:30pm
Room 321 (Student Centre)
FREE
Refreshments

With reflections by OPIRG York working groups

Open Discussion

For more information: opirg@yorku.ca


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THURSDAY JAN 11- Books to Prisoners Kickoff

Join us in the OPIRG York office to help organize and package the first shipment
of books to prisoners. This will also act as the first meeting of the New Year,
so come in and learn about this working group.

3pm
OPIRG York office (C449 of the Student Centre)

For more information: opirg@yorku.ca

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SATURDAY JAN 13th- Social Justice: From Rhetoric to Action

1:30pm Keynote by Linda McQuaig, journalist and bestselling author of, "It’s the
Crude, Dude:  War, Big Oil, and the Fight for the Planet."

Panel: Canadian Connections to Global Struggles
with Grahame Russell (Rights Action)
Leslie Jermyn (Global Aware and University of Toronto)
Justin Podur (ZNET)

Workshops:
Art and Social Change
The Media and Messaging
Strategies for Fighting Poverty
Fighting Climate Change
Demanding Justice for Immigrants and Refugees

5:30pm Reception with performance by LAL

The registration fee is $5. Pre-registration is required but the fee can be paid
at the door.
Email students@socialjustice.org to register.

For more information contact the Centre for Social Justice
(416) 927-0777
www.socialjustice.org


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ACTION: Detainees Release Open Letter from Gitmo North

Situation Continues to Deteriorate as Hunger Strike Enters Day 45 for
Mahjoub, Day 34 for Jaballah and Almrei

Detainees Call on Canadians to Contact Stockwell Day to Negotiate an End to
the Hunger Strike

Groups from coast-to-coast planning demonstrations in support of detainees

TAKE ACTION: SEE END OF EMAIL

JANUARY 8, 2007 -- In an open letter released today from the detainees at
Canada's Guantanamo Bay -- the Kingston Immigration Holding Centre, located
on the grounds of Millhaven Penitentiary outside of Kingston, ON -- Mahmoud
Jaballah, Mohammad Mahjoub, and Hassan Almrei have asked the people of
Canada to speak up for their rights.

        The three men have been held indefinitely, without charge or bail,
for as long as 6.5 years, on secret evidence neither they nor their lawyers
are allowed to see.

        "Many times before, people across this country have spoken up for
our rights, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts," part of the
letter reads. "Right now, we face a very difficult situation, and if the
government will not speak with us, we hope they will listen to you."

        The open letter, dictated by phone with editorial assistance from a
supporter, comes on the heels of declining health for at least two of the
men. Last Thursday, Mr. Mahjoub, who suffers from high blood pressure and
Hepatitis C, was in such intense pain that he hit the emergency button in
his cell, and while a nurse responded, he was offered no medical assistance
unless he walked to the next building. He has not been given Hepatitis
medication since September 2, 2006.

        (A key demand of the hunger strike is that the men be given a
supervisor when moving anywhere through the Millhaven facility, necessary
to prevent false accusations being made against them by guards. Despite the
facility being top-heavy with supervisors, the institution has refused the
request.)

        "I normally hear from Mr. Mahjoub every day or so, but he was so
weak that he did not call for two days, and when he finally was able to use
the phone, he reported a fever, awful headaches, chest pains, pains in his
left arm, and overall weakness," says family friend and coordinator of the
Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in Canada, Matthew Behrens. "Mr. Jaballah is
experiencing the kind of difficulties consistent with a lengthy hunger
strike as well, in addition to ongoing pain from a double hernia which,
despite being diagnosed last April, has yet to be scheduled for surgery."

        The men note that during hunger strikes at Metro West Detention
Centre in Toronto, where they were held until April of last year, they were
attended to on a daily basis by medical staff to check blood pressure and
pulse, weigh them, do blood tests, and even offer electro-cardiograms to
monitor heart activity. At KIHC, there has not been a daily check, despite
requests.

        "Essentially, it appears that the nursing staff are acting in the
role of jail guards, saying that the men must come to the next building if
they want medical care, even though such basic care is easily transportable
and was offered in the living unit before September," says Behrens. "These
guys have serious health problems, and the lack of effort to provide it to
the men raises serious ethical issues."

        It appears increasingly that the denial of medical care is part of
an overall pattern of arbitrary decisionmaking that contributes to a
punitive atmosphere against men who have not been charged with anything and
who have never behaved in a manner requiring discipline or punishment
within the prison system.  For example, during Eid celebrations last week,
the family of Mr. Jaballah came to visit, and he was allowed to walk to the
next building unescorted. However, when he asked to see a doctor in the
very same building, he was told he could NOT walk to the same building
unescorted. When Mr. Jaballah asked that a supervisor be present if he was
escorted by a guard, the request was declined. Mr. Jaballah was forced to
stay in the living unit.

        Calls to close the Guantanamo North facility continue to grow, and
demonstrations will be taking place from British Columbia to Nova Scotia
between January 11-15. Demands of the demonstrations include:

1. Immediately close Kingston Immigration Holding Centre (Guantanamo Bay North)
 2. Immediately release Canada's secret trial "security certificate"
detainees or provide them with a fair, transparent, open trial.
 3. End all proceedings to deport the Secret Trial Five (Mahmoud Jaballah,
Mohammad Mahjoub, Hassan Almrei, Mohamed Harkat, Adil Charkaoui)
 4. Abolish security certificates and end deportation to torture.
 5. Immediately condemn the illegal Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.

        On January 15, Martin Luther King Day, demonstrations will occur at
the Toronto offices of Canadian Border Services Agency (which runs Gitmo
North) as well as at the entrance to Millhaven, where a four-hour vigil
will include individuals such as Belleville resident David Milne, who has
also stood vigil outside of the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, and a retired
United Church minister who walked with Martin Luther King during the civil
rights trek from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

        For further information, to arrange an interview with family
members of the detainees, and more: Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in
Canada, (416) 651-5800.


TEXT OF THE OPEN LETTER
Monday, January 8, 2007

Open Letter to the People of Canada from the Detainees at Canada's
Guantanamo Bay

We are writing to you because the government of Canada will not speak with
us. We are three Muslim men who have been detained under a security
certificate, without charge or bail, for between 5 and 6 and a half years.
We are not allowed to know the evidence against us.

Many groups such as Amnesty International have called security certificates
fundamentally flawed and unfair. The United Nations has criticized Canada
for this practice. Right now, the Supreme Court is deciding what Canada
should do about them.

We are held at a place called the Kingston Immigration Holding Centre
(KIHC), located on the grounds of Millhaven Penitentiary. Some people have
called this place Guantanamo Bay North. Like the detainees in Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, we are held indefinitely. This is a kind of psychological
torture that is almost unimaginable. We do not know when, or if, we will be
released from jail.

We still have many months, and possibly years, of jail before us while our
cases go through different court proceedings.

We have been very patient and done our best to deal with a process where it
is impossible to defend yourself. And we will remain patient, because we
know that ultimately, we will be let out, because we are innocent men.

But sometimes there is only so much human beings should be required to
accept before they raise their voice in peaceful protest.

Right now we are on a liquid-only hunger strike protesting the conditions
of our detention. For Mohammad Mahjoub, it is day 45, for Mahmoud Jaballah
and Hassan Almrei, it is day 34. We do not want to be on hunger strike. It
is hard on us and our families. But it is the only voice we have.

When we were detained in Toronto, there were many hunger strikes protesting
our conditions of detention. Because of this, the new facility at Millhaven
was built, and now we are three hours away from our loved ones. Many of the
things promised to us, such as educational programs and a library, have not
happened. We do not have the same rights as convicted criminals to trailer
visits with our families. And now we are faced with the denial of medical
care. In one case, shots for Hepatitis C  have not been given since
September 2, 2006. Surgery for a knee injury and a double hernia have not
been scheduled, even though we have been here since April, 2006.

Our demands are very simple.

There must be a supervisor to be present with us when we move anywhere
within the facility. In particular, this is important if we move from the
living unit to the next building or to the Millhaven building for health
care. Without a supervisor present, the possibility remains of a guard
making a false accusation against us. As we have seen too often here, when
it comes down to our word against a guard's, the staff will side with the
guards.

Medical care must be delivered to us in the living unit if we are not
accompanied by a supervisor to the administration building. We have not
refused the offer of medical care. We want medical care. Medical care was
given to us in this area before September 10, 2006, and now our refusal to
go to the administration building without a supervisor -- a choice we have
made for our own safety -- is being used as an excuse to deny us medical
care.

We would like to have access to the media without guards present during an
interview. We had private access to the media at Metro West, without
needing approval from the jail.

We want an end to daily head counts, since there are only three of us, and
they are humiliating and unnecessary.

We would like to use phone cards to call family overseas. The KIHC makes us
use the most expensive plan available, which our families can't afford
because they are on social assistance. Since calls are monitored, it makes
no sense why a cheaper calling card cannot be used.

We want the same rights as other federal inmates: access to a library,
educational programs, and trailer visits with our families where we can
stay together for three days every month.

Our "yard" is a small concrete area. Just three metres from this is a huge
grassy area, but we are not allowed to enjoy it. It is surrounded by two
huge fences, but nobody currently uses it. We see no reason why we cannot
enjoy the outdoors.

Because problems keep happening here, we need to get at the root of the
issue: there is no independent body or neutral mediator and there is no
translator for meetings with staff (English is not our first language). All
our complaints about staff are dealt with by staff. They are not objective,
so the complaints are always dismissed, with no appeal. This is not fair.
There is no ombudsperson that we can speak with. We have been told we can
send complaints to the Red Cross, but we are not allowed to phone them.
Besides, the Red Cross has no authority here.

Ultimately, we wish to be treated as human beings, and all human beings
have rights. We wish to be reunited with our loved ones, but until that
time comes, we want to live with as much dignity as is possible while we
are at Guantanamo North. There is no security-related reason why this is
not possible.

Our hearts cry from the suffering we see in the world, and we ourselves try
to cope day to day with lives that have been stolen from us based on
secrets. Our families are in prison, too. The children long for us to be
home with them to play, to help with the schoolwork, to be there as they
grow up. And we know that day will hopefully come soon.

Many times before, people across this country have spoken up for our
rights, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Right now, we face
a very difficult situation, and if the government will not speak with us,
we hope they will listen to you.

Please contact your Member of Parliament, write a letter to the newspaper,
and call Stockwell Day, and ask him that he fix the problems at KIHC. The
pain we feel from a lengthy hunger strike is also felt by our families and
friends, who worry so much about us. Secret trials are a wound to Canadian
democracy. Justice for our situation can help heal that wound.

Mahmoud Jaballah
Mohammad Mahjoub
Hassan Almrei

TAKING ACTION
1. Write and Call Stockwell Day, Minister responsible for the Canadian
Border Services Agency (which runs the KIHC). Demand that he meet
immediately or appoint a neutral party to immediately resolve the crisis at
KIHC.

Stockwell Day, MP,
House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Phone: (613) 995-1702
Fax: (613) 995.1154
day.s@parl.gc.ca
communications@psepc.gc.ca

2. Contact the new immigration minister, Diane Finley, at (866) 496-3400.
This is her Simcoe constituency office. Ask that she meet with the families
of the detainees (who have requested a meeting) and that she also take
action to meet the reasonable demands of the detainees.

3. Write a support card to the detainees (let us know at tasc@web.ca if you
have so we can monitor if mail is getting through): Mohammad Mahjoub,
Mahmoud Jaballah, and Hassan Almrei can be reached:

Kingston Immigration Holding Centre
c/o CSC RHQ Ontario Region
440 King Street West
PO Box 1174
Kingston, Ontario K7L 4Y8

4. Join the National Days to Close Guantanamo North and South, January
11-15, 2007. Consider organizing a vigil in your community at the office of
an MP, CSIS, RCMP, or federal building.  Events are already being planned
coast-to-coast, including at Millhaven. To join the national day of action
with a vigil or public event in your community please contact tasc@web.ca

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WEBSITE OF WEEK: Rabble.ca- http://www.rabble.ca/

Rabble.ca was built on the efforts of progressive journalists, writers, artists
and activists across the country. We launched rabble on April 18, 2001, just
before the protests against the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, and
leapt onto the Net with the kind of coverage you could only get from the point
of view of the rabble. We have covered events and issues in ways you'd be hard
pressed to find anywhere else ever since.