--- Begin Message ---
From
jamyang <jamyang@OPENFLOWS.ORG>
Date
Tue, 26 Oct 2004 03:30:55 +0100
http://openflows.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/26/0031233
MONTREAL • Oct. 25, 2004 • The Government of Canada must ensure that
Canadian security and surveillance technology exports to China do not
undermine human rights in that country before allowing such sales to
continue, Rights & Democracy said in a new paper co-authored with Greg
Walton.
According to the paper, called Human Rights at Risk on the
Cyber-battlefield, human rights safeguards are required because there is
a credible and reasonable expectation that security and surveillance
technology sold to the People's Republic of China will be used to
repress free speech and violate a number of related human rights.
Accordingly, the Canadian government and the corporations that will
profit directly from the sale of such technology have at the very least
a moral obligation to assess the potential effects these security and
surveillance systems would have on human rights in the countries where
they will be used.
Media
Globe & Mail: Human rights at risk, group tells Ottawa, Ban urged on
sales of security technology to China
“While there may not be any actual intent by such governments or
corporations to facilitate human rights violations, their failure to
conduct due diligence in the face of reasonable expectation of human
rights abuse is cause for serious concern and must be addressed,” said
Jean-Louis Roy, President of Rights & Democracy. “ The Government of
Canada should work with others to establish a comprehensive
international process to evaluate the impact of trade and investment
policy on human rights.”
Beginning tomorrow, a number of Canadian businesses will participate in
the PT Expo Comm 2004 Trade Fair in Beijing, which focuses on
telecommunications and information technology. The trade fair comes on
the heels of a series of Canadian government-supported trade initiatives
in China , including last month's surveillance technology trade mission
coordinated by Canada 's National Research Council.
The sale of Canadian security and surveillance technology to China takes
place amid an ongoing public debate about the use of such technologies
here in Canada and their effect on the democratic rights of Canadians.
These concerns have been voiced in recent consultations concerning
Canada's Lawful Access legislation and will hopefully be addressed by a
complete review of Canada's anti-terrorism legislation, Bill C-36, which
could begin in December.
See also: China 's Golden Shield: Corporations and the development of
surveillance technology (2001)
For more information, please contact Louis Moubarak or Steve Smith at
514-283-6073.
Rights & Democracy is a non-partisan organization with an international
mandate. It was created by Canada 's Parliament in 1988 to encourage and
support the universal values of human rights and the promotion of
democratic institutions and practices around the world. Rights &
Democracy works with individuals, organizations and governments in
Canada and abroad to promote the human and democratic rights defined in
the United Nations' International Bill of Human Rights.
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