SDIR Committee Meeting

The Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development met in camera at 1:06 p.m. this day, in Room 112-N, Centre Block, the Chair, Scott Reid, presiding.

It was agreed, — That the subcommittee adopt the draft statement as follows:

The Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development (the Subcommittee) has recently held hearings about the human rights situation in Vietnam.

The Subcommittee heard from:

• Dr. Can Le, Commissioner for External Affairs, Vietnamese Canadian Federation;

• Ms. Khue-Tu Nguyen, Commissioner for Human Rights, Vietnamese Canadian Federation;

• Dr. Thang Nguyen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boat People SOS;

• Mr. Diem Do, Chairman, Viet Tan;

• Mr. Manh Hung Pham;

• Mr. Dai Nguyen Van, Vice Director, Brotherhood for Democracy;

• Ms. Thi Minh Hanh Do, Member, Viet Labour;

• Mr. Bac Truyen Nguyen, Member, Vietnamese Political & Religious Prisoners Friendship Association;

• Ms. Trinh Nguyen, Communications Director and Organizer, Viet Tan;

• Mr. Hung Nguyen, Revered, Interfaith Council of Vietnam;

• Mr. Minh Tam Truong; and

• Mr. Dieu Cay.

There are approximately 220,000 persons of Vietnamese descent in Canada. Many members of the Vietnamese-Canadian community attended the Subcommittee’s hearings. The Subcommittee welcomes the active engagement of the Vietnamese-Canadian community and commends their resolve to improve the human rights situation in Vietnam; it also acknowledges the important contributions their representatives made to the Subcommittee’s study.

The Subcommittee’s hearings left its members deeply concerned about the lack of respect for internationally protected human rights in Vietnam, particularly civil and political rights. The Subcommittee received substantial, consistent testimony regarding violations of civil and political rights by the Government of Vietnam.

Based on the evidence heard to date, the Subcommittee is particularly troubled by:

• Physical attacks against bloggers, journalists, human rights defenders and political activists, leaders and members of unregistered religious congregations, as well as the arbitrary detention and disproportionate sentences such persons may receive for exercising their democratic rights.

• Credible reports of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and torture, as well as a lack of respect for human dignity in Vietnamese prisons.

• Harassment and imprisonment of religious leaders and communities that fail to register with the government.

• The prohibition against the formation of independent labour unions.

• Violations of the right to a fair trial, including the absence of an independent judiciary. Accordingly, the Subcommittee:

• Reminds the Government of Vietnam that it is responsible for upholding the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons in Vietnam, including its obligations as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

• Strongly condemns all harassment and attacks against bloggers, journalists, human rights defenders, political activists and members of unregistered religious congregations.

• Expresses its concern over the arbitrary arrest, detention and disproportionately harsh sentencing of Vietnamese citizens who peacefully exercise their rights to freedom of opinion and expression; freedom of religion and belief; and freedom of assembly and association.

• Calls on the Government of Vietnam to amend the provisions concerning offences against national security which could restrict freedom of expression, including on the Internet, particularly articles 79, 88 and 258 of the Penal Code.

• Calls upon the Government of Vietnam to guarantee its citizens’ right to a fair and public trial before an independent and impartial tribunal established by law, which includes the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, the right to communicate with counsel of one’s own choosing and the right to be able to make full answer and defence to criminal charges, and not to be compelled to confess guilt.

• Further calls upon the Government of Vietnam to unconditionally release all individuals who have been imprisoned for exercising their democratic rights, including, but not limited to:

• Dang Xuan Dieu;

• Tran Huynh Duy Thuc;

• Ta Phong Tan;

• Ding Nguyen Kha;

• Can Thi Theu;

• Le Thanh Tung;

• Nguyen Huu Vinh;

• Bui Thi Minh Hang;

• Tran Vu Anh Binh;

• Vo Minh Tri;

• Nguyen Dang Minh Man;

• Ho Thi Bich Khuong;

• Doan Van Vuon;

• Doan Dinh Nam;

• Doan Huy Chuong;

• Nguyen Hoang Quoc Hung; and

• Ho Duc Hoa.

• Insists that the Government of Vietnam implement the voluntary pledges and commitments it undertook when joining the United Nations Human Rights Council, particularly those which concern improvements to the legal and judicial system and training aimed at improving the ability of law enforcement agents to protect, respect and ensure the full range of the Vietnamese peoples’ human rights.

• Encourages the Government of Canada to consider ways in which the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations could contribute to improving the human rights situation in Vietnam.

• Further encourages Canada’s Ambassador for Religious Freedom to monitor respect for religious freedom in Vietnam.

It was agreed, — That the Clerk of the Subcommittee, in consultation with the Chair, issue a news release to announce the adoption of the Subcommittee statement concerning the human rights situation in Vietnam.

It was agreed, — That the subcommittee adopt the draft statement as follows:

For a number of years, the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development (the Subcommittee) has paid close attention to the plight of religious minorities in different parts of the world. In February and March 2015, the Subcommittee received testimony about the human rights situation in Bangladesh, focusing specifically on the situation of religious minorities in that country. These meetings left the Subcommittee deeply concerned about ongoing violations and abuses of freedom of religion and other internationally protected human rights in Bangladesh.

The Subcommittee notes that the Constitution of Bangladesh recognizes the right of Bangladeshi citizens to profess, practice and propagate any religion and prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion. The Government of Bangladesh is also party to international human rights treaties guaranteeing freedom of religion or belief. Nevertheless, the Subcommittee has observed that the country’s religious minorities are unable to fully enjoy their human rights.

The Subcommittee was dismayed to receive reports that religious minority groups in Bangladesh continue to face discrimination, harassment and violence at the hands of both state and non-state actors. Some minority religious communities have been victims of mob violence, such as the attacks against Hindu and Buddhist temples, shops and homes near Chittagong in 2012 and 2013. Witnesses testifying before the Subcommittee also spoke of violent attacks and land grabs perpetrated against indigenous communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, implicating both the Bangladeshi army and ethnic Bengali settlers in these acts.

The Subcommittee is also alarmed at the murder of three atheist bloggers known for speaking out against religious extremism in Bangladesh. The Subcommittee notes that Canada’s Ambassador for Religious Freedom, Dr. Andrew Bennett, has condemned these murders.

Moreover, the Subcommittee is troubled by reports that women and girls have been abducted, raped and subject to forced marriages, as well as indications that adherents of minority religions are at risk of forced conversion to Islam, and that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has training camps in Bangladesh.

The Subcommittee strongly believes that all Bangladeshis have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Members of religious minority communities, like all others in Bangladesh, also have the right to freedom of expression and the right to live free from discrimination. The Subcommittee also notes that a lack of respect for these rights negatively impacts the enjoyment of many other internationally protected human rights.

Therefore, the Subcommittee:

• Condemns all discrimination, harassment and attacks against minority communities in Bangladesh, including indigenous groups and religious minorities.

• Further condemns the brutal murder of atheist bloggers Avijit Roy, Ananta Bijoy Das and Oyashiqur Rahman and extends its condolences to their family members.

• Calls upon the Government of Bangladesh to uphold the rights of all individuals to espouse their beliefs in peace and security, free from violent attack.

• Insists that the Government of Bangladesh must effectively protect the places of worship, icons and religious property of minority religious communities, as well as the freedom of persons of all faiths to manifest their religion in public or private, individually or with other members of their community and without discrimination.

• Urges the Bangladeshi authorities to conduct independent and effective investigations of violent incidents that undermine freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as well as freedom of expression in Bangladesh, and to bring those responsible to justice.

• Condemns all forced religious conversions in Bangladesh.

• Further condemns all forms of child, early and forced marriage in Bangladesh.

• Supports the Government of Canada’s efforts to end child, early and forced early and childhood marriage in Bangladesh.

• Encourages Canada’s Ambassador for Religious Freedom to continue to monitor respect for religious freedom in Bangladesh.

It was agreed, — That the Clerk of the Subcommittee, in consultation with the Chair, issue a news release to announce the adoption of the Subcommittee statement concerning the human rights situation in Bangladesh.

It was agreed, — Whereas, on 1 November 2014, Biram Dah Abeid, a leading Mauritanian anti-slavery activist and founder of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement, was arrested following a peaceful anti-slavery march;

Whereas Biram Dah Abeid has been charged with calling for a demonstration, participating in a demonstration and belonging to an illegal organisation, and whereas some reports suggest that he is at risk of facing the death penalty;

Whereas other anti-slavery campaigners have also been arrested and detained; Whereas, although officially abolished in 1981 and criminalised in 2007, the practice of slavery persists in Mauritania;

Whereas, according to the Global Slavery Index 2014, Mauritania has a higher proportion of its population enslaved than any other country in the world, and some figures estimate the rate of enslavement at 20%;

Whereas, Mauritania has ratified conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

That the Subcommittee:

Condemn the arrest and ongoing detention of anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid and his fellow campaigners, and call for their immediate release;

Express concern about reports of violence used against activists, and urge Mauritanian authorities to prosecute those officials who have been involved in the abuse and torture of prisoners;

Condemn all forms of slavery in the strongest possible terms, and specifically condemn the high prevalence of slavery, slavery-related practices and the trafficking of human beings within Mauritania;

Call on the Canadian government to join with other members of the international community to combat slavery and human trafficking in Mauritania, and around the world.

It was agreed, — That the Clerk of the Subcommittee, in consultation with the Chair, issue a news release to announce the adoption of the Subcommitte's motion concerning activist Biram Dah Abeid.

It was agreed, — Whereas the House adopted a unanimous motion on May 2, 2007, about the case of Huseyin Celil;

Whereas Huseyin Celil is a Canadian citizen who was travelling in Uzbekistan on a Canadian passport in March 2006 when he was arrested, extradited to China, and convicted on trumped-on charges;

Whereas the Chinese government continues to refuse to recognize Mr. Celil’s Canadian citizenship;

Whereas the Chinese government continues to refuse Canadian officials consular access to Mr. Celil, contrary to the 1999 Canada-China consular agreement;

Whereas there are serious allegations that Mr. Celil has been mistreated and possibly subjected to torture while in Chinese custody, which would constitute a serious breach of the UN Convention against Torture, to which both Canada and China are parties; That the Subcommittee:

Call upon the government of China to allow Canadian consular access to Huseyin Celil, and to ensure that Mr. Celil’s rights are respected;

Call upon the government of Uzbekistan to explain why it extradited Mr. Celil to China instead of Canada, when he had been travelling on a Canadian passport;

Call upon the Government of Canada to use all diplomatic means to assure that Mr. Celil’s rights are fully protected, that he be released from prison, and that he be reunited with his family in Canada.

Ask the Government of Canada to provide as much information as possible to Mr. Celil’s wife, Kamila Telendibaeva, about her husband’s situation.

It was agreed, — That the Clerk of the Subcommittee, in consultation with the Chair, issue a news release to announce the adoption of the Subcommittee's motion on the case of Huseyin Celil.

At 1:50 p.m., the Subcommittee adjourned to the call of the Chair.