Subject: Rights reputation on line in Canada, Amnesty says
Thestar.com > News > Canada
May. 8, 2002. 01:00 AM
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Rights reputation on line in Canada, Amnesty says Watchdog upset by PoW transfers, U.S. refugee pact
Tim Harper OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF
OTTAWA — Amnesty International is taking Canada to task for adopting and pursuing measures damaging to the nation's international reputation built on respect for human rights.
Among other things, the Canadian branch of the human rights watchdog wants Ottawa to end talks with Washington on a refugee accord until it has assurances the United States will comply with international standards on treatment of refugee claimants.
The Amnesty report, amid what it calls a deteriorating commitment to human rights in Canada, also called yesterday for an immediate halt to the Canadian practice of handing over Al Qaeda or Taliban prisoners of war to U.S. authorities.
Until a U.S. commitment to respect the Geneva Conventions and other international standards on treatment of prisoners is extracted, Canada is complicit in flouting global legal standards, Amnesty said.
"We must immediately cease this country's complicity in this contravention of international norms,'' director Alex Neve said.
Canada's international reputation rests on respect for human rights "but, in a number of key areas, there has been a failure to walk the talk and match bold words with clear actions,'' Amnesty said.
The report also says the Chrétien Liberals are guilty of passing "hastily drafted'' security legislation after last September's terrorist attacks on the United States. "Security that is not grounded in human rights will always be precarious, and human rights remain tenuous if security is not assured,'' it says.
Neve reserved his toughest criticism for a pending refugee deal between Ottawa and Washington which awaits only the signatures of Deputy Prime Minister John Manley and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.
The Star reported yesterday that a draft agreement is in place which would allow Ottawa to turn back thousands of refugee claimants who arrive each year via the United States.
"The Canadian government clearly wants this agreement,'' Neve said. "I won't say they want it at all costs. But, at significant cost, they want this agreement.
"Our concern is that they are not being as attentive to human rights practices and deeds as they need to be.''
Neve noted there have been numerous reports of physical abuse in American detention centres, as well as individuals being held in isolated conditions and having difficulty gaining access to legal counsel.
In the House of Commons yesterday, Manley told Canadian Alliance immigration critic Diane Ablonczy that a safe third-country agreement with the United States is necessary for an "intelligent border'' between the two countries.