SDIR Committee Meeting

The Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development met at 1:04 p.m. this day, in Room 253-D, Centre Block, for the purpose of electing a Chair, pursuant to Standing Order 106(1).

On motion of Irwin Cotler, it was agreed, — That Scott Reid be elected Chair of the Subcommittee.

On motion of Gary Ralph Schellenberger, it was agreed, — That Wayne Marston be elected First Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee.

On motion of David Sweet, it was agreed, — That Irwin Cotler be elected Second Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee.

At 1:10 p.m., Scott Reid took the Chair.

At 1:11 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 1:11 p.m., the sitting resumed in camera.

It was agreed, — WHEREAS, the September 1, 2013 massacre of 52 unarmed and defenseless Iranian pro-democracy dissidents at Camp Ashraf in Iraq is the latest – and most lethal – of five separate attacks since 2009 targeting members of the Iranian resistance organization Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), also known as the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI);
WHEREAS, two of these prior attacks were acknowledged to have been directly carried out by Iraqi security forces and overwhelming credible evidence points to the Iraqi government’s direct role in perpetrating or facilitating the September 2013 massacre;
WHEREAS, the whereabouts of the seven Camp Ashraf residents who have been missing since the September 1 massacre remain unknown – and the Iraqi government has issued contradictory statements variously acknowledging and denying that the missing residents are in Iraqi custody;
WHEREAS, the more than 3000 residents of Camp Liberty have all been designated as “protected persons” under the Fourth Geneva Convention;
WHEREAS, the 42 survivors of the Camp Ashraf massacre have been relocated to Camp Liberty - a squalid facility that lacks the basic infrastructure necessary to comply with international law requirements and to ensure their security from further attacks; and,
WHEREAS, this latest massacre represents the culmination of an ongoing and escalating humanitarian crisis that demands an immediate response from the international community and the United Nations;
THAT the Subcommittee invite witnesses to testify to the circumstances surrounding the September 1, 2013 massacre of 52 Camp Ashraf residents; the fate of those who remain unaccounted for at this time; the future of those once at Camp Ashraf and now at Camp Liberty; and ongoing concerns for those now detained in Iraq; and,
THAT the Subcommittee invite these witnesses with a view towards producing a motion stating its findings in this regard as well as any recommendations that may be appropriate.

It was agreed, — That Colonel Wesley Martin and Jared Genser be invited to appear before the Subcommittee to discuss the current situation in Camp Ashraf.

It was agreed, — That the evidence and documentation received by the Subcommittee on International Human Rights during the 41st Session of the 1st Parliament in relation to its study of the Forced Harvesting and Trafficking of Human Organs be taken into consideration by the Subcommittee in the current session.

It was agreed, — That the Subcommittee invite members of the Uyghur Canadian Society to appear to discuss the situation concerning organ harvesting.

At 1:34 p.m., the Subcommittee adjourned to the call of the Chair.