The subcommittee met twice this week, on Tuesday, December 6 and on Thursday, December 8.
On Tuesday, the committee heard from Alex Neve, Secretary General, Amnesty International Canada, on the persecution of the Coptic Christian community in Egypt. Neve provided three reports to the committee.
Links:
- Broken Promises: Egypt’s Military Rulers Erode Human Rights
- Women Demand Equality in Shaping New Egypt
- 10 Steps for Human Rights: Amnesty International’s Human Rights Manifesto for Egypt
Neve also noted concern for Naser Al-Raas, a Canadian tortured in Bahrain, in imminent danger of being returned to prison.
On Thursday, the committee heard from Colonel Wesley Martin, U.S. Army (retired), who appeared as an individual. He presented information on Camp Ashraf, Iraq, and detailed recommendations for the protection of the 34,00 men and women there. Two committee members, Wayne Marston (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, NDP) and Hon. Irwin Cotler (Mount Royal, Lib.), stated they would like to see the subcommittee reach a decision on recommendations at its meeting on Tuesday, December 13.
As well, Irwin Cotler moved the motion by Russ Hiebert (South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, CPC) from the previous parliament, which included reference to Ms. Shin Sook-ja and her two daughters, who may still be imprisoned in North Korea. The motion was adopted by consensus. Mr. Cotler noted that the adoption of the motion would be announced at the Council for Human Rights in North Korea meeting in Toronto on December 9.