حزب ال NDP يتبنى موضوع فتاة القطيف ويطلب من رئيس وزراء كندا التدخل شخصيا لرفع الظلم عنها !!

Quote: See copy of letter to Prime Minister Harper below: Dear Prime Minister Harper, We are sending you this letter to bring your attention to the case of a 19-year-old Saudi gang-rape victim known as "Qatif Girl". She was sentenced to 90 lashes for having been in the company of an unrelated man shortly before she and her companion were brutally gang-raped by seven men. Through the appeal process, the court increased her sentence to 200 lashes and six months of imprisonment because of “her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media”. Furthermore, her lawyer’s practice licence has been revoked. I am sure you share my horror at this blatant act of state violence against women. We cannot stand idle as Saudi Arabia continues its flagrant abuse of human rights. As international human rights organizations have reported, the list of human rights violations in Saudi Arabia is a long one: - The death penalty is administered at one of the highest rates in the world – the victims include minors. - There are reports of torture in custody. Sentences of flogging continue to be routinely imposed by the courts as in the case of “Qatif Girl”. Those sentenced to floggings include children. - Women continue to face pervasive discrimination, in particular harsh limits on their freedom of movement. Domestic violence remains prevalent. - Critics of the Saudi government are subjected to detention without charge or trial, often for prolonged periods, before being tried or released. - Writers and journalists who call for reform are subject to short-term arrests, travel bans or censorship. - Migrant workers are subject to abuses by state authorities and by private employers. Abuses by state authorities include detention without charge or trial, and abuses by employers included physical and psychological ill-treatment and non-payment of salaries. These human rights violations have escalated with the pretext of Saudi Arabia’s contribution to the “war on terror”. Given these facts, New Democrats are extremely concerned that Saudi Arabia remains the second largest purchaser of Canadian-made military goods. Annual reports on the export of military goods from Canada indicate that between 2000 and 2002 Saudi Arabia purchased over $143 million in arms made in Canada. The federal government has failed to continue tabling annual reports on the export of military goods from Canada since year 2002. However, Saudi Arabia’s purchase of Canadian-made military goods is estimated to top $527 million. Knowing what we know about Saudi Arabia’s flagrant abuse of human rights, business as usual is unconscionable. Continuing the arms trade with Saudi Arabia undermines Canada’s credibility on democracy building and human rights. We call on your government to take steps in immediately ending the transfer of military goods from Canada to Saudi Arabia.Further more, we urge you to: 1. Call on King Abdullah to immediately annul the verdict and drop all charges against the rape victim and to order the court to end the harassment of her lawyer. 2. Support reforms of the Saudi laws in particular the criminalization of any contact between unmarried individuals of the opposite sex in Saudi Arabia which has impeded the ability of rape victims to seek justice. We look forward to your immediate action. Sincerely, Original signed by, NDP Leader Jack Layton NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar, NDP Status of Women critic Irene Mathyssen NDP Human Rights critic Wayne Marston