Message sent on behalf of prof. Nandini Ramanujam, Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism, McGill University. Begin forwarded message: From: Camila Franco <camila.franco@citizenlab.camailto:camila.franco@citizenlab.ca> Subject: Support for HRD in Canada, Noura Aljizawi Dear Professor Ramanujam,
I hope the summer months have been treating you and your loved ones well. I am writing to bring to your attention the case of Noura Aljizawi, a researcher and colleague of mine at the Citizen Labhttps://citizenlab.ca/, who I imagine you might already know! My colleagues and I are trying to reach out to other academics, or people in the field of human rights who may be able to help amplify her case.
In short, Noura is a human rights defender that has been flagged by Canadian authorities as a national security riskhttps://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/welcomed-by-canada-for-defying-a-dictator-syrian-activist-now-considered-a-security-risk-1.6453244, under s.34 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. She arrived in Canada in 2017 after having advocated against the Syrian regime, being imprisoned and enduring torture for her human rights activism. She arrived at the University of Toronto with the Scholar at Risk programhttps://www.utoronto.ca/news/you-cannot-defeat-me-u-t-grad-noura-al-jizawi-leader-syrian-uprising-takes-new-challenge, but now faces an uncertain future and risks being separated from her 5 year old daughter and husband.
If you have any ideas or contacts that you would feel comfortable sharing with me to help amplify her cause, it would be deeply appreciated. The Citizen Lab is releasing a statement of support along with a press release later today or tomorrow morning. If you feel comfortable signing on to that statement, or sharing it with your colleagues, you can find it herehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1jnNRiYf5tWFt0K0wqkjgj85UhkKqnvtc2F8LnFgNTyM/edit. Otherwise, I can point you to the site Justice For Nourahttps://wpsn-canada.org/what-we-do/letter-campaigns/justice-for-noura-aljizawi/ which has more information and specific calls to action.
Thank you so much for your attention to this unique and unfortunate circumstance.
Sincerely,
Camila Franco (B.A., B.C.L./ J.D.) Legal Extern at the Citizen Lab (Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy)