PETITION to support US WAR RESISTERS

PETITION to support US WAR RESISTERS

Dear Friends and Members,

Americans Against the War-France supports USA war resisters in Canada. Below are copies of our English/French handouts. Hope you can join us to support the young people who refuse to fight in an unjust and illegal war.

ENGLISH VERSION
LET U.S.A. WAR RESISTERS STAY IN CANADA
Dear
Prime Minister Stephen Harper 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A2 CANADA
Minister of Citizenship & Immigration Diane Finley Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1 CANADA
Stéphane Dion, Liberal Party 81 Metcalfe Street, Suite 400 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6M8 CANADA

I am writing to ask you to make a provision for sanctuary for the scores of U.S. military service members currently in Canada, most of whom have traveled to your country in order to resist fighting in the war on Iraq.
Between 1965 and 1973, 50,OOO Americans were able to take refuge in Canada when resisting to fight the war on Vietnam.
Today Canada again faces the choice of whether to give refuge to resisters of an unjust war. Since immigrating to Canada has become much harder now, war resisters are seeking refugee status in accord with United Nations guidelines:

“Soldiers who refuse to fight in wars that are widely condemned by the international community as contrary to standards of human conduct should be considered as refugees.”

The Canadian Refugee Board, however, has refused to hear arguments that the war in Iraq is illegal, and it continues to reject these claims.
The first two U.S. objectors to apply, Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey, were recently denied a hearing on their appeal by the Supreme Court of Canada. For more information, see:
http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/426/99/ and http://www.resisters.ca/resisters_stories.html

Robin Long nearly became the first war resister to be deported. We are thankful that Canadian immigration officials have put his deportation on hold. However, he and other U.S. war resisters still face deportation—even before a decision by the Supreme Court of Canada.
Regardless of the decisions of the Refugee Board or the courts, the Canadian government should not become party to the persecution of war resisters. If forced back to the U.S., soldiers of conscience face years of incarceration and stigmatizing discharges. Although unlikely, even the death penalty remains a possible penalty for desertion in wartime under the U.S. military’s Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Nearly two of three Canadians are in favor of U.S. war resisters being allowed to stay according to a recent poll, and of course many wonderful Canadians have opened their homes to resisters from the U.S.A.. Please continue Canada’s rich tradition of being a refuge from militarism.

I ask that the Canadian government demonstrate its commitment to international law.
I seek your assurance that U.S. war resisters will not be forced to leave Canada.
Sincerely,


distributed by Americans Against the War - France . aawfrance.org


EN FRANCAIS
Objecteurs de conscience Etatsunisiens
Le gouvernement Canadien doit permettre aux objecteurs de conscience de se réfugier au Canada.

Entre 1965 et1973, plus de 50 000 Etatsunisiens se sont refugiés au Canada, refusant de participer à la guerre du Vietnam.
Trente ans plus tard, le Canada est confronté à un choix similaire: donner refuge aux personnes qui refusent d'être complices de la guerre menée par le gouvernement Etatsunisien contre l'Irak, ou les renvoyer aux Etats Unis.
Il y a actuellement au moins deux objecteurs de conscience Etatsunisien qui refusent de se battre en Iraq:
Jeremy Hinzman, soldat dans la 82e division aéroportée, est arrivé à Toronto avec sa famille en janvier 2004 et a demandé le statut de réfugié.
Brandon Hughey, soldat américain de 19 ans, est arrivé à St. Catherines deux mois plus tard et a également demandé le statut de réfugié. voir sites en anglais

http://www.resisters.ca/resisters_stories.html et http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/426/99/
Nous demandons au gouvernement Canadien de ne pas punir les objecteurs de con -science en les renvoyant aux États-Unis ou ils seraient passibles d’emprisonnement et, même, de la peine de mort.

Pétition en Français:
Chers
-Premier Ministre Stephen Harper 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A0A2
-Ministre de Citoyenté & Immigration Diane Finley Ottowa, Ontario K1A 1L1
-Stéphane Dion, Liberal Party 81 Metcalfe Street, Suite 400 Ottawa Ontario K1P 6M8

Je, soussigné-e-, demande au gouvernement Canadien de démontrer son attachement au droit international et aux traités dont il est signataire, en prenant les mesures nécessaires pour que les objecteurs de conscience Etatsunisiens puissent se réfugier au Canada.
NOM ADRESSE OU EMAIL SIGNATURE