درخواست از دولت کانادا برای حمایت از نسرین ستوده

گروهی از سیاستمداران و شخصیت‌های فرهنگی و دانشگاهی کانادا با انتشار نامه‌ای از جاستین ترودو، نخست وزیر، خواسته‌اند دولت کانادا رسماً از آزادی نسرین ستوده حمایت کند.

درپی نامه امانوئل مکرون، رئیس جمهور فرانسه، که در آستانه ۸ مارس، روز جهانی زن، در حمایت از آزادی نسرین ستوده، منتشر شد، گروهی از فعالان فرهنگی اجتماعی جامعه ایرانیان کانادا با تهیه یک نامه و جلب حمایت رسمی گروهی از شخصیت‌های سیاسی، فرهنگی و دانشگاهی کانادا، از دولت جاستین ترودو درخواست کرده‌اند از دعوت رئیس جمهور فرانسه برای آزادی حقوقدان برجسته ایرانی از زندان حمایت کند.

از جمله امضاء کنندگان این نامه، پل مارتین، نخست وزیر سابق کانادا، باب رِی و اوجال دوسانج، نخست وزیران پیشین استان‌های انتاریو و بریتیش کلمبیا، چند تن از وزیران سابق دولت‌های فدرال و استانی، و روسای چند دانشگاه بزرگ کانادا، شخصیت‌های فرهنگی و دانشگاهی شناخته‌شده ایرانی و غیر ایرانی، از گرایش‌های مختلف سیاسی هستند.

نسرین ستوده، وکیل برجسته ایرانی که به دلیل فعالیت‌های حقوق بشری در زندان بسر می‌برد، اخیراً با حکم جدیدی به ۳۸ سال زندان و تحمل ۱۴۸ ضربه شلاق محکوم شده است.

رئیس جمهور فرانسه در نامه‌اش خطاب به نسرین ستوده از او دعوت کرده بود تا به گروه مشاوران برابری جنسیتی در کنفرانس کشورهای گروه ۸ بپیوندند.

.کمپین جمع‌آوری امضاء برای حمایت از آزادی نسرین ستوده را تاکنون بیش از ۲۰۰ هزار نفر امضاء کرده‌اند

متن نامه فرستاده شده به نخست وزیر کانادا و لیست امضاء کنندگان به شرح زیر است:

.The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P

Prime Minister of Canada

Langevin Block

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0A2

March 28, 2019

,Dear Prime Minister

As has been widely reported, on the occasion of the 2019 International Women’s Day, French President Emmanuel Macron publicly invited imprisoned Iranian lawyer Ms. Nasrin Sotoudeh to be part the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, a body created by Canada last year at your recommendation. We are writing to you to request that Canada demonstrate its international leadership in protecting women and human rights defenders by publicly endorsing President Macron’s invitation. We further request that Canada invite Ms. Sotoudeh to serve on .one or more institutions of similar international standing

Ms. Sotoudeh has been an inspiring figure for millions of women and men around the globe, including many in Canada. Because of her advocacy for human rights and women’s rights, and because she has been tireless in providing legal assistance to political prisoners in Iran, Ms. Sotoudeh has spent many years in jail. Just weeks ago, in a new trial deemed unfair by Amnesty International, Sotoudeh was reported to have been sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes. This unfair sentence has generated outrage and disbelief among all democratic nations.

An endorsement of the French initiative, and another public invitation to Ms. Sotoudeh from the Canadian Prime Minister which acknowledges her heroic sacrifices and condemns her unjust imprisonment would send a strong message of solidarity on behalf of all Canadians. It would also put the Iranian government on notice that the world will not forget about Ms. Sotoudeh. In addition, such an action would acknowledge the efforts of those who risk their lives to demand basic and universal human rights and women’s rights across the globe. Finally, given that Ms. Sotoudeh’s activism is globally known, and given that her name is frequently mentioned as a potential recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Canada’s leadership on this issue would be widely recognized and applauded by human rights defenders across the world.

We are certain that such endorsement of President Macron’s action, and an invitation to Nasrin Sotoudeh to serve on another institution of .similar nature, will have the support of all Canadians and parliamentarians of all political stripes

.We thank you in advance

,Yours Sincerely

.The Right Honourable Paul Martin, P.C., C.C., Q.C

21st Prime Minister of Canada

Morteza Abdolalian

Board member, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression

Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay

Founder, Stop Child Executions

Payam Akhavan

Professor of International Law, McGill University

Gary Caroline

Lawyer, Caroline Law LLP

Imogen Coe

Professor, Faculty of Science, Ryerson University

Affiliate Scientist Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute

Vice-President, Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences

Daryl Copeland

Research Fellow, Canadian Global Affairs Institute

Policy Fellow, University of Montreal Centre for International Studies (CERIUM)

Senior Advisor, Science Diplomacy, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

Paul Copeland, C.M.

Lawyer and Life Bencher, Law Society of Ontario

.The Honourable Irwin Cotler, P.C., O.C., Q.C

Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

.The Honourable Ujjal Dosanjh, P.C., Q.C

Former Premier of British Columbia

Former Federal Minister of Health

.The Honourable Art Eggleton, P.C

Former Senator

Former Mayor of the City of Toronto

Katie Gibbbs

Executive Director, Evidence for Democracy

Terry Glavin

Journalist

Mehrdad Hariri

CEO & President, Canadian Science Policy Centre

Ata Hoodashtian

Associate Professor of Political Science, Swiss Umef University, Geneva

Homa Hoodfar

Professor, Concordia University

Arsalan Kahnemuyipour

Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Toronto

Marcus Kolga

Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Megan Leslie

Former Member of Parliament

Former Deputy Leader of the NDP

The Honourable Peter Mackay P.C., Q.C

Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Akaash Maharaj

Executive Director, Mosaic Institute

Shuvaloy Majumdar

Munk Senior Fellow for Foreign Policy, Macdonald-Laurier Institute

.The Honourable Reza Moridi, P.C

Former Minister of Research, Innovation and Science of Ontario

.Lorne Nystrom, P.C

Former Member of Parliament

Soheil Parsa

Artistic Director, Modern Times Stage Company

Doina Popescu

Founding Director, Ryerson Image Centre, Ryerson University

.The Honourable Bob Rae C.C., OOnt, P.C., Q.C

Former Premier of Ontario

Former Interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

Farid Rohani

Honorary Lieutenant Colonel (The British Columbia Regiment)

Member of the Global Reporting Centre Advisory Board

Brandon Silver

Director of Policy and Projects, Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights

Kaveh Shahrooz

Lawyer

Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Mamdouh Shoukri, C.M., OOnt

President Emeritus, York University

Fred (Farhad) Soofi

Board Member, Tri-Cities Chapter of Amnesty International

Recipient of Top 25 Canadian Immigrants 2016 Award

Shahram Tabe

Status Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Toronto

Olivia Ward

Filmmaker and Former Toronto Star Foreign Affairs Writer

Farrokh Zandi

Associate Professor, Schulich School of Business, York University

Director, International Business Designation