On May 29th 2003, 10 non-status Algerians and 2 supporters were brutally arrested in then-Immigration Minister Denis Coderre’s Ottawa office. They were charged with ‘mischief over $5,000’. Their trial will begin in Ottawa on June 1st, and the stakes are high for those defendants who are still not regularized and risk being deported to Algeria. They are calling for your support and solidarity…

This message includes:

* A brief history of the Action Committee for Non-Status Algerians’ struggle
* The story of the arrest on May 29th
* Information about the upcoming trial
* Ways you can support the defendants

A Call for Courtroom Solidarity and Support


The Trial of Non-Status Algerians and Supporters Arrested in Immigration Minisiter’s Office Begins This Week


The Struggle


The Action Committee for Non-Status Algerians has been organizing against the deportation of non-status Algerians for almost three years. Their struggle intensified in April 2002, when then-Immigration Minister Denis Coderre lifted the moratorium on deportations to Algeria, leaving over 1000 non-status Algerians facing removal to a country still torn by civil conflict and brutal violence.


In October 2002, their dynamic struggle won a partial victory. After months of public meetings, petitions, demonstrations, meetings with immigration bureaucrats – and after the Bourouisa family sought sanctuary in a Montreal Church -- Immigration Canada and Immigration Quebec announced the implementation of a special Joint Procedure for the regularization of some non-status Algerians. However, numerous individuals are excluded from that regularization procedure, and so the Action Committee has continued to fight for justice.


On Thursday, May 29th 2003, 10 non-status Algerians and 2 supporters from the No One Is Illegal Campaign of Montreal, Sarita Ahooja and Andréa Schmidt, entered the waiting room of Coderre's Ottawa office. They were delivering a letter demanding a face-to-face meeting with the Minister and a just solution for individuals facing deportation to Algeria because they are excluded from the regularization process put into place by Canada and Quebec Immigration. Since Coderre had repeatedly refused to meet or dialogue with members of the Action Committee, those delivering the letter decided to remain in the waiting room until he committed to the meeting.


The Crime


The police response to the action was brutal. At approximately 10:30 PM, members of the Ottawa Police Services tactical squad, in coordination with the RCMP, charged the people occupying the waiting room. After forcing them to the ground, the police beat and Tasered many of the men on their necks, backs, torsos and genitals. One man was bashed in the head with the butt of a Taser gun, leaving a large and bloody gash on his forehead. Another man’s tooth was broken when he was punched in the face by a police officer. Several men received Taser burns on the backs of their neck, backs and arms. These wounds have resulted in permanent scarring. The 12 individuals were arrested, charged with mischief over $5,000, and released from jail the next day.


The Trial


Almost one year to the day after the police attacked the unarmed protesters peacefully waiting in the immigration minister’s waiting room, the people they brutalized will be tried summarily in Ottawa court. The trial will open on Tuesday, June 1st at the Elgin Street Courthouse. It is scheduled for the first, second and fourth weeks of June.


The Stakes


In fact, when the trial opens, only 10 of the 12 accused will be able to be present. Immigration Canada deported one man to Algerian last fall, and his ability to return to Canada to be reunited with his wife depends on the results of the trial. A second defendant, Mohamed Cherfi, was deported to the United States on March 5th 2004 after having sought sanctuary in a Quebec City church. Mohamed was refused status in Canada for being a committed and articulate leader of the non-status Algerians’ movement over the past two years. His involvement in the protest on May 29th was cited by several Immigration officials as the reason his application for landed status in Quebec was rejected. Mohamed is currently incarcerated in a New York State prison as he awaits the decision on his asylum claim in the US to be rendered at the end of June. If his claim is denied, as is the case with 95 % of asylum claims made in the US, he will be deported to Algeria where he faces great danger in light of his outspoken criticism of the Algerian government and his struggle for justice for all non-status Algerians in Canada.


What You Can Do


Indeed, all the non-status defendants’ ability to remain in Canada where they have built their lives and struggled courageously for status depends on the outcome of this trial. They need YOUR support to win a victory that will not only remove one obstacle to gaining status but also make it clear to the Ottawa Police, the RCMP and Immigration Canada that the racist and brutal attack on non-status people demanding justice was the only criminal act that took place in Coderre’s office on May 29th 2003. Here are ways you can demonstrate your solidarity and help the defendants win:


==> 1) Pack the Court Room: A full courtroom shows the judge that the defendants have widespread community support. Your presence will be greatly appreciated whenever you can make it, whether for an hour or for a full day. But a full courtroom is particularly crucial during the first week of the trial, that is from Tuesday-Friday June 1st-4th; the days on which the defence will present its arguments (still to be determined but likely during the second week of June) will also be important courtroom solidarity days.


The Elgin Street Court House is located at 161 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario.


==> 2) Provide Transportation to Ottawa: If you are driving from Montreal to Ottawa to attend court and you have extra space in your vehicle to offer other people wanting to travel to Ottawa for courtroom solidarity, please let us know so we can coordinate rides. You can email noii...@resist.ca or call (514) 859-9023. Similarly, if you want to attend court in Ottawa but you need a ride, don’t hesitate to get in touch to find out if there are any empty seats available. And if you are part of a collective or organization that is interested in sending a bus to Ottawa for one of the trial days, please let us know as soon as possible!


==> 3) Financial Support: Over and above the cost of lawyers’ fees, we are trying to raise funds to cover the cost of trial materials, transportation of the defendants and the legal team to and from Ottawa, and other costs incurred by a trial that will potentially be three weeks long. If you are able to donate money to help cover these costs, please make cheques out to the Libertas Legal Collective and mark “May 29th trial