EMERGENCY RALLY TODAY!
EMERGENCY RALLY TODAY!
EMERGENCY RALLY TODAY!

STOP THE DEPORTATION OF LAIBAR SINGH
Rally and Delegation to Citizenship and Immigration Canada

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2:00PM
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Laurier @ Kent
Ottawa, ON
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Laibar Singh is set to be deported on Monday, August 20th. Below is an update on his detention, and further below information on his sanctuary and his refugee claim.

On Monday night at approximately 10 pm, close to 20-30 uniformed officers, border services agents, and undercover officersarrived at the hospital to arrest Mr. Singh. Temple President Swaran Singh Gill, who was with Mr. Singh at the time, was not allowed to make any phone calls, including to legal counsel, and was led to believe that he too would face arrest.
 
According to Mr. Swarn Singh Gill, President of the Abbortsford Sahib Kalgidhar Darbar Gurudwara, "We are really concerned about Mr. Singh. Mr. Singh was given sanctuary in order to protect his life and this past week it was in Mr. Singh's best interests to go to the hospital and receive the medical attention that he needed. Even in the hospital, he was under the care and supervision of the Gurudwara, and therefore we believe still protected by the tradition of sanctuary."

This particularly harsh and punitive measure must be condemned. We demand that CBSA not remove Mr. Singh, particularly given his critical medical condition and the fact that he has a pending humanitarian review of his case.

For more background information:
http://noii-van.resist.ca/?cat=3



LAIBAR SINGH TAKES GURUDWARA (TEMPLE) SANCTUARY
>
> Gathering- Sunday July 8 at 10 am. Abbotsford
> Gurduwara 30640 Blueridge
> Drive. For rides from Vancouver, contact NOII at 778
> 552 2099.
>
>
> Mr. Laibar Singh has taken sanctuary at Abbortsford
> Sahib Kalgidhar Darbar
> Gurudwara. This difficult decision, particularly
> given his medical
> condition, was made by him and his supporters as
> part of his struggle for
> justice to remain in Canada. At a rally today in
> support of Mr. Singh,
> over 300 community members vowed to support Mr.
> Singh during the duration
> of his sanctuary and to continue to pressure the
> government to fight for
> his right to remain. South Asian community members
> passionately discussed
> the ongoing racism and injustice of Canadian
> government policies, which
> discriminate against poor racialized immigrants and
> refugees.
>
> Sanctuary is a longstanding moral tradition and is
> an act of civil
> disobedience against unjust government laws and
> policies. There have been
> approximately 40 incidents of sanctuary since 1983
> and they represent a
> profound assertion of faith and of conscience to
> support refugees in their
> struggle for justice.
>
> Of imminent concern is ongoing medical, financial,
> and logistical support
> for Mr. Singh. Of course the only way that his
> health will not be further
> negatively impacted is if he is able to receive
> adequate and continuing
> medical care at George Pearson Centre without the
> threat of deportation.
>
> *** PLS VISIT WWW.NOONEISILLEGAL.ORG IN THE UPCOMING
> DAYS ABOUT CONCRETE
> WAYS TO SUPPORT MR. SINGH *
>
>
> BACKGROUND:
>
> Mr. Laiber Singh is a refugee claimant from Punjab,
> India. He is due to be
> deported at 1:00 pm Sunday July 8th from the George
> Pearson Centre, a
> long-term care facility for people with severe
> disabilities. Federal
> government authorities have hired a private jet at a
> cost of over $70,000
> to fly Mr. Singh to New Delhi.
>
> Mr. Singh is a 48-year old Dalit Punjabi man who
> came to Canada in 2003
> and has been struggling for nearly four years to get
> refugee status. His
> refugee claim of persecution at the hands of state
> police has been
> rejected based mostly on minor inconsistencies and
> simply because the
> Immigration and Refugee Board judge simply 'did not
> believe he was
> credible', a highly subjective assessment.
>
> Because the government has failed to implement the
> appeal process required
> by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
> (2002), Mr. Singh's fate has
> essentially rested in the hands of one person.
> Furthermore, Mr. Singh has
> a pending Humanitarian and Compassionate Claim, yet
> is being deported
> prior to a decision being rendered on this
> application. As with so many
> other refugees, Mr. Singh's refusal is a reflection
> of this structurally
> flawed refugee system.
>
> Mr. Singh had an aneurysm in August 2006 that left
> him completely
> paralyzed and unable to feed himself. Mr. Singh
> spent four months at
> Vancouver General Hospital and has been at the
> George Pearson Centre
> receiving 24-hour care since December 2006. Prior to
> suffering from his
> aneurysm, Mr. Singh worked as a labourer, performing
> one of the many
> low-skilled and dangerous jobs that the Canadian
> economy depends on
> (im)migrant labour for.
>
> It is outrageous that the Canadian government would
> deport a man who is
> already struggling to life a live of dignity and
> autonomy, and whose
> physical health is so fragile. Please join us in
> standing with Mr. Laibar
> Singh to demand a stop to this unjust deportation!