Catherine Lathwell
Outreach Corner (October Report)
The primary objective of this Secret Trial 5 campaign, of course, is to make the documentary.
Our secondary goal is to ensure as many people as possible understand that Security Certificates are real Canadian Policy; that right here in Canada, actual people are detained indefinitely, with no charges based on secret evidence.
The outreach strategy to achieve this secondary goal has three prongs: to engage in dialogue via social networks; to solicit feedback and contributions from our audience; and to connect with organizations who are working to promote awareness about Canadian Security Certificate Legislation.
My new "Outreach Corner" blog posts will keep you updated on our work connecting with organisations across Canada and throughout the world.
Many of you will remember that back in Feb 2011 Sophie Harkat joined us and No One is Illegal in Toronto for a work in progress screening. This was followed by 3 other events in the spring and summer organized by SPINLAW; Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee and the third one co-organized by The People's Commission Network, QPIRG and Cinema Politica respectively.
In the mean time, The Secret Trial 5 has also been endorsed by the prestigious Science for Peace, International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee, Cinema Politica and most recently Inter Pares.
We are honoured by this strong show of support and will work to add more organisations into the mix. If there is an organisation you think we should be connecting with, please let us know!
I'd like to close with an excerpt from the amazing endourcement letter written by Roch Tassé, National Coordinator, ICLMG:
"ICLMG supports all legitimate efforts to combat terrorism which is in itself a serious attack on human rights, but argues that these efforts must always respect human rights norms. While we recognize the obligation of states to protect citizens and others on their territories from violence, we regret the way in which most states are interpreting this obligation by restricting democratic freedoms. We do not properly defend democracy, the rule of law and a culture of human rights by abdicating these very principles. Security and freedom are not opposites. Respect for fundamental rights is an essential
condition, a vital component of security. We hope your film will contribute to make this a reality."
We're here to give it our best shot.
