Write letter to Canadian Members of Parliament & Diplomats in support of Palestine Human Rights Defender

Prominent Palestinian human rights defender Mahmoud Nawajaa was taken from his family by Israeli occupation forces during a night raid.

Take a moment to write a letter to Canadian elected officials and diplomats.

Send letter:

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/write-letter-to-canadian-members-of-parliament-diplomats-in-support-of-palestine-human-rights-defender/

The Trudeau government’s complicity gives Israel carte blanche to commit human right abuses and international law violations without impunity.

Under Article 1 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, all High Contracting Parties, which includes Canada, are required to take action to ensure respect for the Convention “in all circumstances.”  

Note: The Canadian BDS Coalition and Just Peace Advocates join together for this letter writing campaign.

In this circumstance, at the very least, the transfer of Mahmoud, as is the case of other prisioners, as a civilian from the occupied area to the occupier’s own territory is a war crime as defined by the Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 49.

Let us remind the Canadian government that the Fourth Geneva Convention provides for the protection of civilians who find themselves under the rule of a foreign power in the event of an international and internal conflict.

The Fourth Geneva Convention is based on the universally accepted principle that parties to a conflict should ensure that people living in an occupied territory should continue to live in as normal a manner as possible and in accordance with their laws, customs and traditions.

Articles 42 and 78 of the Fourth Geneva Convention permit administrative detention only if the security of the Detaining Power makes it absolutely necessary.The practice of administrative detention by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory contravenes fundamental human rights. Israel uses administrative detention in a highly arbitrary manner without even basic safeguards in place which also leads to other, grave human rights violations.
The Canadian government needs to stop providing impunity to Israel, and to call for administrative detainees that are held on account of their political views or their activities carried out in resistance to the occupation be released promptly and unconditionally.

Background of Mahmoud Nawajaa’s detention

#FreeMahmoud #BDS

Mahmoud Nawajaa, a prominent Palestinian human rights defender, has been dragged away from his family by Israeli occupation forces in a night raid on Thursday July 30 and is currently held in Israel’s Jalameh high-security interrogation center, denied access to lawyers.

Mahmoud’s arrest comes in the context of Israel’s plans for de jure annexation of much of the occupied Palestinian West Bank, on top of its decades-long de facto annexation and apartheid. His arrest is part of Israel’s attempts to clamp down on human rights defenders, such as Mahmoud, and constitutes yet another element of Israel’s apartheid regime.

Mahmoud is one of the more than 4,700 Palestinian prisioners in Israeli jails. In the current circumstances, with the COVID19 virus spreading, mass detention aggravates health and safety risks to all detainees, adding to the common culture of torture and degrading as well as inhumane treatment of Palestinians in Israeli jails.

The Canadian context:

The Trudeau Liberal Government has expressed that it does not support boycotts, divestments or sanctions, despite these actions and opinions being civil liberties and constitutional rights.

Over 60 federal members of parliament have said they are against further annexation of the “West Bank” of Palestine.

Canada touted itself as the world leader who would help countries fight and recover from Covid-19, during its bid for the United Nations Security Seat, but this does not seem to extend to Palestine, nor Palestinian prisoners.

Under Article 1 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, all High Contracting Parties, which includes Canada, are required to take action to ensure respect for the Convention “in all circumstances.”  

See BDS National Committee for more information.

See Al-Haq for more information.

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