Libby Davies: An open letter to the foreign affairs minister on Marc Emery's solitary confinement
Today (June 9), MP Libby Davies (Vancouver East) sent the following letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon on the issue of the solitary confinement of Marc Emery.
June 8, 2010
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon
Minister of Foreign Affairs
418 N Centre Block
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Dear Minister Cannon,
I write to ask for your immediate intervention into the seemingly harsh treatment of a Canadian citizen currently serving a sentence at the SeaTac Federal Detention Centre in Seattle, Washington.
Since Thursday, June 3, Marc Emery of British Columbia, has been in solitary confinement awaiting disciplinary action for having recorded a conversation he had with his wife, in what amounts to a phone interview for his own internet blog.
Mr. Emery took all reasonable steps to be informed of all the rules and regulations that apply to him in his current circumstances. He was never provided the information that having a conversation recorded is against the rules. It is unreasonable that Mr. Emery be denied access to phones, books, writing materials and contact with his family for an undetermined amount of time. It is unfair that further disciplinary measures are also being considered.
I have written your government on several occasions to express my opposition to sending any Canadian to a US prison for actions that don’t merit prosecution under Canadian laws. Having taken this rare step, Canada has a unique responsibility to Mr. Emery.
I ask that your office take all necessary steps to act immediately to ensure Mr. Emery’s rights are being respected and safety protected, including his release from solitary confinement.
Sincerely,
ORIGINAL SIGNED
Libby Davies MP Vancouver East
Comments
17 Comments
jlavoie
Jun 9, 2010 at 2:06pm
Brilliant job Libby. Glad I live in your riding!
vanwest
Jun 9, 2010 at 5:31pm
Thanks for writing a supportive letter. I hope it helps. Burying Marc in solitary confinement was a horrible mistake and Sea Tac is in violation. This process is inhumane.
Darren T
Jun 9, 2010 at 5:54pm
Sadly, my guess is that few MPs pay much attention to the plight of the many less-famous Canadians dealing with much harsher treatment in foreign prisons, including many cases where the crimes of which they were found guilty were every bit as ridiculous as Marc Emery's. That's not an attack on Libby Davies by any mean; I just hope people remember that he's far from the only Canadian dealing with something like this.
Polardiscoball
Jun 10, 2010 at 1:20am
More proof that his extradition and imprisonment were politically motivated.
Politically motivated extraditions are not allowed.
Bring on the election.
Guido
Jun 10, 2010 at 1:25am
The drug dealer has introduced thousands upon thousands of unsuspecting victims to the world of drugs and we're suppose to shed a tear? Huh?
TO
Jun 10, 2010 at 6:51am
Thank you Libby Davies.
An MP that cares image that.
TO
Jun 10, 2010 at 6:51am
Thank you Libby Davies.
An MP that cares image that.
RealityCheck
Jun 10, 2010 at 9:22am
Serves the drug dealer right.
Krystle
Jun 10, 2010 at 11:39am
Solitary confinement is inhumane. Do we lock our mis-behaving pets in closets when they're bad? NO! So why do we do it to humans?
Our "corrections" centres are barbaric.
And to see that a Canadian citizen can be taken away from his home because he broke an American law is wrong.
If this is the way our country is going to treat its citizens, then we might as well become annexed and become the state of Canada.
Let Marc serve his sentence at home. Not in a closet.
beelzebub
Jun 11, 2010 at 10:55am
What no tears and words of encouragement for the Vancouver cop who was selling the harmless plant? Is he not being pilloried on the altar of political expediency? Should he not be forced through the corrupt system for an all natural herb?