There may be up to 200 war resisters in Canada, maybe more, and we owe it to them to do all we can to support them. About 20 have started legal work to get asylum. The rest are awaiting the results. This week Jeremy Hinzman, 27, and Brandon Hughey are in court, working the legal system in their effort to get political asylum in Canada. They have been fighting to stay on the grounds that they were avoiding a war that violated international human rights and was illegal. A court decision is expected within a week.
Their lawyer argued Wednesday that the Refugee Board (that initially turned down their request) made a mistake when it decided not to consider evidence on the legality of the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
"A soldier may be a refugee if he objects to a war which violates fundamental human norms," said lawyer Jeffry House.
This is a very important case. We especially call on our Canadian brothers and sisters to do all they can to support these courageous men and women who have done the right thing. Those of us in the US can also make a difference.
Please see Tomjoad.org for more on this and a full list of publicly known military resisters. Also support http://resisters.ca a Canadian support group.Kick this so the evening people will see it. We need a safe place for soldiers of conscience to stay and live their lives.
Support political asylum for g.i. resisters in Canada!