Security certificates are used by the government to detain non-citizens indefinitely, while the evidence against them is not revealed either to them or their lawyers. Currently in Canada, five men have been in prison for as long as seven years, based on secret evidence that they are somehow a security threat to the country.
Peaceful Protest
October 20 is being called as a National Day of Action across the country to protest the use of security certificates. Rallies and teach-ins are aimed to educate the public about this pressing issue which is an affront of basic human rights.
Why should we all be concerned about security certificates? Here are two compelling reasons:
- Security certificates discriminate against non-citizens. Think of how many people live in Canada, but are not actually Canadian citizens. Must they all be held up as suspects now, based upon evidence that is too classified even for them to know about? Not being a citizen does not necessarily make someone more of a threat to national security.
- Security certificates and secret trials fly in the face of accepted due process. To hold someone without pressing charges, and without telling them or their lawyer what evidence is being held against them, is something that is known to be done in dictatorships and fascist states -- not in a democratic country like Canada.
Protect Rights and Freedoms
There are people who have moved to Canada from other countries and have commented that one of the reasons they chose to live here is to get away from situations like being detained without charges. After all, if such a thing can be applied to non-citizens, everyone should be concerned that this is something that may eventually be applied to citizens as well. And once human rights are lost -- how do we get them back? From whom? Our rights and freedoms are too precious to sacrifice.
A serious question that remains is: why are these men still being held after so many years? Seven years should be long enough to build a case against someone. There is no presumption of innocence here, just a call for due process. They should either be charged with crimes, with those charges made public and the evidence revealed to them and their legal teams, or be released.
If you live in Canada, find out if there is something going on in your area on October 20. Take a stand for human rights and call for the end of security certificates
Paula Kirman - Paula E. Kirman is a freelance writer and editor. Her book reviews and author interviews appear regularly in a variety of print and online ...
