Free Meng Wanzhou!
By Janine Solanki
Who is Meng Wanzhou, why has Canada unlawfully arrested her, and what you can do about it!
On December 1, 2018 Meng Wanzhou was arrested while transiting through Vancouver International Airport. The CFO of Huawei Technologies was essentially kidnapped at the bequest of U.S. authorities in an unlawful operation that violated Canada’s laws, due process, and Meng Wanzhou’s rights. Two years later, Meng Wanzhou is still held hostage in a politically tainted extradition case, which U.S. President Trump made clear hinges on his trade war with China.
Efforts to free Meng Wanzhou are increasing and Fire This Time (FTT) has joined the Cross-Canada Campaign to Free Meng Wanzhou, an initiative of the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War. On November 24, 2020 an online panel was held with prominent speakers, including two Members of Parliament: the New Democratic Party’s Niki Ashton of Churchill—Keewatinook Aski in Manitoba and the Green Party’s Paul Manly of Nanaimo—Ladysmith in British Columbia.
The panel discussed the case, generating much attention and kicking off a Cross-Canada Campaign to Free Meng Wanzhou. On December 1, a Cross-Canada Day of Action was held, which included picket actions in various cities, letter writing to MP’s, and signing of a parliamentary petition (see below).
FTT and Mobilization Against War & Occupation (MAWO) mobilized supporters here in Vancouver to take part in a social media campaign where selfies with protest signs were shared online and around the world. In the words of Ken Stone from the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War, “For the first time, many of our fellow Canadians heard an alternative viewpoint of why the arrest of Meng Wanzhou was an attempt by the Trump Administration to drag Canada, against its own national interest, into a new cold war with China.” The new Cross-Canada campaign to Free Meng Wanzhou is growing in strength and support!
Below is more information about the case, taken from the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War website , including how you can get more information and take action!
Key Facts in the Case of Meng Wanzhou
- Meng Wanzhou is accused by the U.S. of violating its unilateral and illegal economic sanctions against Iran. However these sanctions and alleged “crime” do not exist in Canada.
- Canada has a requirement of “double criminality”. Unless the alleged crime is a crime in both jurisdictions, you cannot extradite.
- The U.S. tried to have Meng Wanzhou arrested in six other European and Latin American countries - all of which rejected U.S. demands.
- President Trump declared he might release Meng if he secured a favourable trade deal with China, and that he told John Bolton that Meng was “a bargaining chip” in his negotiations in his trade war with China. This is enough to throw the case out as politically tainted.
- By holding Meng Wanzhou when the U.S. government has offered her release in exchange for getting their way on a trade deal, she is being held hostage. This then constitutes a violation of the UN Convention on Hostages.
Former Canadian Parliamentarians, Diplomats & Notable Personalities Call on Canada to Free Meng Wanzhou!
Louise Arbour - Former President and CEO of International Crisis Group; Lloyd Axworthy - Former Minister of Foreign Affairs; Lawrence Cannon - Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Canadian Ambassador to France; Ed Broadbent - Former Leader of the new Democratic Party; Hugh Segal - Former Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Derek Burney - Former Ambassador to the U.S.; Wendy Dobson - Professor Emerita, University of Toronto and Former Associate Deputy Minister; Leonard J. Edwards - Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and Former Canadian Ambassador to Japan and Korea; Yves Fortier - Former Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN and UN Security Council; Robert Fowle - Former Foreign Policy Adviser to Prime Ministers Pierre Trudeau, John Turner and Brian Mulroney; Louise Frechette - Former Deputy Secretary General of the UN; Fen Osler Hampson - Chancellor's Professor, Carleton University and Executive Director, World Refugee & Migration Council; Paul Heinbecker - Former Canadian Ambassador to Germany, Former Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN and UN Security Council; Michael Kergin - Former Canadian Ambassador to the U.S.; Claude Laverdure - Former Foreign Policy Adviser to PM Jean Chretien; Don Newman - Journalist, Broadcaster and Author; Maureen O'Neil - Former President of the International Development Research Centre; Andre Ouellet - Former Foreign Affairs and International Development Minister; Allan Rock - Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Sign the Parliamentary Petition to Free Meng Wanzhou! https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-2857
Find Out More!
Free Meng Wanzhou Cross-Canada Campaign @ Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War
www.hamiltoncoalitiontostopthewar.ca/campaign-to-free-meng-wanzhou
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