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On August 1st
2006 nine witnesses including RCPL, Red Cross and CIDA have been denied
their right to express their opinion about the evacuation of Canadians
from Lebanon, before the Standing committee on Foreign Affairs in
Ottawa.
This occurred after three Opposition parties (Bloc Quebecois, Liberal
Party, NDP), made an unjustified and unfair pre-judgment on all
witnesses, even before giving them any chance to express their views.
RCPL considers this incident a serious violation of the freedom of
expression, as it aimed at intimidating the witnesses, and at
suppressing legitimate voices of the Lebanese community in Canada. This
constitutes a serious breach in the democratic principle, and a clear
contravention to the spirit of the Canadian Charter of rights and
freedoms.
This is particularly worrisome since many of the witnesses were acting
on the field to help evacuees, and could have added much value to the
work and report of the Standing Committee.
As a non profit organization dedicated to promote human rights and
democracy, RCPL declares that it remains out of any Canadian or Lebanese
political game that could be possibly taking place. We also reiterate
our commitment to defend the rights of Lebanese and Canadians in Lebanon
and in Canada.
For more information about our mission, activities and meetings, please
visit our web site at
http://www.rcplonline.org |
