davidgkoch

Hello to anyone who stumbles across this page!

Well, the months flew by without any posts on this sadly neglected blog.

Lately, I have been working on the Community News Collective blog for CKUT Radio, the awesome campus/community station at McGill University.

There, you can stream, download and podcast our flagship news shows: Off The Hour and the French edition, En Profondeur.

Anyway, this will probably be my last post to the "davidgkoch" blog, since I think it's pretty much dead after months of neglect. I'll probably be making noise somewhere though -- maybe I'll add links to this blog at a later time.

Until then, contact me at davidgkoch (at) gmail.com

Bye!

Classified documents suggest CSIS complicity in alleged torture



Above: Lawyer Yavar Hameed holds up an airline ticket  for Canadian man Abousfian Abdelrazik, who has been stranded in Sudan since 2003. Over 100 people chipped in to purchase the ticket, in defiance of federal laws that make it illegal to provide or collect funds for individuals on the UN's terrorist blacklist. Documents released last month suggest that Canada's intelligence agency was complicit in the alleged torture of Abdelrazik in 2003.

A version of this article was published in The McGill Daily on March 16, 2009.

I also produced a news brief version of this story for the March 12 edition of Free Speech Radio News.

In an act of civil disobedience, more than 100 Canadians have pooled their money to purchase a plane ticket for Abousfian Abdelrazik, a Canadian national stranded in Sudan. Abdelrazik was arrested and allegedly tortured by Sudanese officials – before they declared him innocent – while visiting Sudan in 2003. Following this, Abdelrazik was designated as a terrorist by the United States, and labelled as an Al-Qaida operative by the United Nations.

At a press conference on Thursday, supporters of Abdelrazik released the names of 115 people who have contributed money to purchase a $997 plane ticket to bring him home to Canada.

“We are doctors. We are lawyers, teachers, artists, activists, mothers, and we have put our money together because we would like [Abdelrazik] to get home as soon as he can,” said Cory Legassic, a Montreal teacher who donated $20 for the ticket.

Under the Al-Qaida and Taliban Regulations of Canada’s United Nations Act, it is a federal offence to knowingly collect or provide funds to be used by “Usama bin Laden or his associates.”

Since Abdelrazik’s name appears on a UN blacklist – known as the UN Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee Consolidated List – he is considered one of these “associates.” Violating the act may lead to a prison sentence of up to ten years, according to Abdelrazik’s lawyer, Yavar Hameed.

“Those people who have collected the money to purchase this ticket have done so at great peril and personal risk,” Hameed said.

Human rights activist Samaa Elibyar, who contributed $20 for the ticket, said the case of Abdelrazik calls into question the basic freedoms of Canadians.

“When I see that the government is intimidating us, and saying that we will be penalized if we help Abousfian to return home, I just say no,” she stated.

The flight, on Etihad Airways – an airline based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) –  is scheduled to leave Khartoum on April 3, headed for Toronto via Abu Dhabi, UAE.   

Supporters of Abdelrazik attempted to purchase him a ticket to Canada last year, but Passport Canada said in an email to Hameed that they would not issue the travel documents until a paid ticket and itinerary were confirmed.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Daniel Barbarie declined to comment about whether Passport Canada would issue the necessary travel documents. He also refused to confirm whether Abdelrazik’s supporters would be charged with violating the United Nations Act.

However, Barbarie did state that as a member country of the UN, Canada has “an obligation to implement the declarations of the Security Council,” including regulations that prohibit the financial support of terrorists.

These recent developments in Abdelrazik’s ordeal follow the release of classified documents suggesting that Sudanese authorities arrested him on the recommendation of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Canada’s intelligence agency. Hameed obtained these documents last month under the Privacy Act and the Canada Evidence Act.

He noted one document in particular, marked “secret,” and “Canadian eyes only,” with large portions blacked out. It says that “Abdelrazik was arrested on September 10, 2003 [blacked out] and recommendation by CSIS, for suspected involvement with terrorist elements.”

The document also states that Canadian officials interviewed Abdelrazik after the arrest. Hameed said that the Sudanese authorities tortured Abdelrazik before the interview.

“Our understanding of the situation...is that CSIS is the one that actually recommended Abdelrazik be detained in order to facilitate the process of having him as a captive,” Hameed said. “Opportunistically, they capitalized on that [situation] to interrogate him.”

Hameed described this practice as Canada “outsourcing torture.”

When asked about Canada’s role in Abdelrazik’s detention, CSIS spokesperson Manon Berube said that an earlier statement, published in a Globe and Mail article on March 5, still stands: “CSIS does not and has not arranged for the arrest of Canadian citizens overseas...In the case of Mr. Abdelrazik, CSIS reiterates that it acted in accordance with the CSIS Act, law and policy.”

However, this is cold comfort for Saskatchewan farmer and former Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament David Orchard, who donated $400 towards Abdelrazik’s plane ticket.

“I’m against torture, period. And I’m against the torture of Canadians,” he said. “And I’m against my country asking foreign nations to torture people for us.”

The UN put Abdelrazik on its terrorist blacklist in 2006, following the lead of the U.S.. But in a letter dated November 2007, an assistant commissioner for the National Security Criminal Investigations wing of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said that no “current or substantive evidence” supports his continued listing.

Abdelrazik has been living at the Canadian embassy since last April, when Canada granted him a "temporary safe haven."

According to Hameed, Abdelrazik lives in the public areas of the embassy, sleeping in the fitness training room. Hameed said that Canada has special permission from the UN to loan Abdelrazik four hundred dollars per month. However, Abdelrazik never sees the money. Instead, it pays for his food and other expenses.

"It's just an accounting measure," Hameed said. "They're saying every day he spends in the embassy is costing the government of Canada, and they're going to get that money back."

After a brief hiatus, we're back with more news from CKUT, produced in collaboration with The Dominion.

Listen to this week's broadcast by clicking here.

Runs 7m 15s

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/31273

Groundwire - January edition now available!

Click here to listen.

Headlines:
York U. T.A. Strike continues
Vancouver Homeless Woman Dies On Street
World's Largest Video Game Developer Downsizes
Airline Debuts Biofuel
Starbucks vs. Unions

Plus, these features:
Shoeing Bush
Conservative Plan Guts CBC
Revolt at Canadian-Owned Goldmine in Africa
Free Software vs. Cisco
High School Gays' Rally in the Valley
A station report from CJSF and COOP

http://radio4all.net/index.php/program/30970
http://www.ncra.ca/exchange/dspProgramDetail.cfm?programID=79285

CLICK HERE to listen to the full report. Another version of this story also appeared in the January 2009 edition of Groundwire

On December 11, four thousand residents of a northern Tanzanian village stormed Barrick Gold Corporation's North Mara gold mine.

Activists claim that Barrick security guards sparked the occupation when they allegedly shot a local man.

Riot police with guns and tear gas dispersed the villagers, who destroyed a reported $7,000,000 of equipment and stole gold ore.

Police killed one person,  according to a Barrick spokesperson.

CLICK HERE to listen to the December edition of Radio Sanctuary (runs 1 hour).

Each year on December 18, International Migrants Day (IMD) highlights the struggles and achievements of people around the world who live outside of their home country.

Since 2006, broadcasters internationally have marked IMD with Radio 1812, a global radio event featuring dozens of programs on migrant issues .

CKUT contributed to this exciting event with the 27th installment of Radio Sanctuary, a monthly broadcast hosted by Abdelkader Belaouni ("Kader" to his friends).

Kader, a refugee from Algeria, is a blind man who has been living in sanctuary in a Montreal church since January 2006, when he was scheduled for deportation.

Every month, CKUT brings remote broadcasting equipment to St. Gabriel's Church, and Kader makes his voice heard via radio across Montreal and around the world.

The December edition of Radio Sanctuary features a discussion on the many issues facing migrants, from the professional perspectives of a social worker, a lawyer, and a physician.

A group of local musicians also performed live from St. Gabriel's Church.

This is a bilingual broadcast.

CLICK HERE to listen.

We are now producing our weekly headlines broadcast in collaboration with The Dominion, an independent grassroots news source that you can read at online or in the print version distributed monthly across Canada.

In brief:

-Protesters in Montreal and Toronto hurl shoes at US consulates in solidarity with jailed Iraqi journalist Mantadhar al-Zeidi

-Bush pushes through a record number of 'midnight regulations,' changing rules on environment, abortion, gun control before finally leaving office next month

-US war resister to be deported from Canada today

-Body of a Montreal homeless man found frozen in park; shelters demand funding from province

-Vancouver homeless woman burns to death trying to stay warm

-Canadian troops to use 'laser dazzlers' on Afghan civilians

-Assassinations of indigenous Wuyuu people continue in Colombia; Army kills partner of indigenous leader Aida Quilcué

David Koch/Anabel Khoo/The Dominion

MP3: http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/download/30860/35572/51462/?url=http://www.radio4all.net:8080/files/newsnet@ckut.ca/1193-1-dec24headlines.mp3

Hosted by Radio4all.net

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/3086

CLICK HERE to listen (9m 16s):

In brief:

-Liberal Party of Canada calls for ban on Tasers; Police forces recall some of the weapons for testing after CBC probe finds potentially deadly malfunction

-Newfoundland and Labrador to expropriate assets from AbitibiBowater after the logging company closes a pulp mill

-Barriere Lake: Acting chief of Algonquin community sentenced to forty-five days in jail by a Quebec court for participating in November blockade of Highway 117 in Northern Quebec

-Brazil: Supreme Court rules to uphold land reform, allocating a large, continuous tract of land to indigenous people despite violent resistance of landowners

-Israel expels UN Special Rapporteur over comments comparing Israel's treatment of Palestinians to Nazi treatment of Jews

-Tanzania: thousands of villagers occupy a gold mine owned by the Canada-based  Barrick Gold Corporation

DOWNLOAD: http://www.radio4all.net:8080/files/newsnet@ckut.ca/1193-1-headlines_dec_17.mp3

David Koch/Charles Mostoller

headlines@ckut.ca

CLICK HERE to hear my report on resistance to the Alberta tar sands development by residents of Fort Chipewyan and environmentalists -- part of this month's edition of Groundwire.

Click here to download the full broadcast.

Groundwire is a project by the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA), providing grassroots coverage of local issues with progressive perspectives on national and international news.

On this month's Groundwire:

FEATURES:

The Algonquin of Barriere Lake took to the highway for a blockade the second time this fall - A look at the cost of the Canadian Security Certificate program - Nova Scotia province cuts Halifax's only shelter of last resort for the homeless - Queen's University Teaching Assistants and Teaching Fellows cast ballots to unionize.

HEADLINES:

After 5 and half years of waiting, the public portion of the Secret Trial against Adil Charkaoui is scheduled for December 8th - The Iacobucci inquiry has found that Canadian officials have indirectly contributed to the torture of its citizens abroad - Indigenous residents of the Fort Chipewyan community are demanding a moratorium on oil sands development - Stephen Harper signs the Free Trade Agreement with Colombia at APEC summit in Peru - Hundreds of feminists gathered in Montreal for the Pan Canadian young feminist gathering in October.

Thanks to Gretchen King, Tariq Jeeroburkhan, David Koch, Jane Kirby, Courtney Kirkby, David Parker, Christopher Currie, Pierre Loiselle, Erica Butler, Erin Ashley, Candice Cascanette, Stephen Kelly, Melissa Albiani, Leanne Arnison.

Featuring submissions from:

CKDU, Halifax, NS; CFRC, Kingston, ON; CKUT, Montreal, QC.

This month's edition of Groundwire was produced by CKDU 88.1 FM campus community radio in Halifax. To reach us by email, send your feedback to groundwire@ncra.ca.

Groundwire is aired on the following stations:

CFRO, Vancouver, BC; CJSR, Edmonton, AB; CKUT, Montreal, QC; CFRC, Kingston, ON; CJSF, Burnaby, BC; CKLN, Toronto, ON; CKDU, Halifax, NS; CKXU, Lethbridge, AB; CHMA, Sackville, NB; CHRY, Toronto, ON; CFMU, Hamilton, ON; CFUR, Prince George, BC; CJLY, Nelson, BC; CORT, Cortes Island, BC; CFRU, Guelph, ON; CHUO, Ottawa, ON; CHMR, St. John`s NL; CHSR, Fredericton, NB; CFMH, St. John, NB; C99, Membertou, NS; GABR, Gabriola, BC; CFBX, Kamloops, BC; CJAM, Windsor, ON.

Listen to this week's top stories  (runs 7min 21sec)

-Aboriginals living downstream from Ft. McMurray, environmentalists say no to new oil sands projects

-Coalition forms to oust federal Conservatives from power

-On Buy Nothing Day, Walmart employee trampled to death by shoppers

-US reportedly pledges $7.7 trillion to bail out firms

-China executes scientist convicted of spying as UN moves to moratorium on death penalty

-Nevada: Western Shoshone natives call for halt to Barrick Gold development

-US, Britain calling for continued talks between Pakistan and India after Mumbai attacks

-Study: Low income earners may bear brunt of industrial pollution in Canada

Download: http://www.ncra.ca/business/admin_ncra/progex/programFiles/53/headlinesDec3.mp3

HOSTED BY THE NCRA: http://www.ncra.ca/exchange/dspProgramDetail.cfm?programID=78715

Rebroadcasting? Contact us! And send feedback, comments to headlines@ckut.ca