B’nai Brith issues indictment against Iranian president on charges of incitement to genocide, asks Government to ban his entry to Canada
OTTAWA, March 6, 2007 – B’nai Brith Canada representatives met earlier this morning with officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs to hand deliver an indictment drafted by the Jewish human rights organization against the Iranian president on charges of incitement to genocide against the Jewish people.
“This indictment against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad moves the debate away from theoretical pronouncements to legally actionable offences,†said David Matas, B’nai Brith Canada’s Senior Legal Counsel. “It also marks the first step in what must be a sustained effort by Canada and the international community to use all legal tools at their disposal to prosecute the Iranian president before it is too late.
“Canada has already acknowledged that the human-rights abusing regime of Iran poses a threat not just to Israel, but to the world. We therefore call on the Government to immediately announce that it will ban entry of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad into this country under any circumstances. We urge the Government to prosecute him for incitement to genocide against the Jewish people should he show up in Canada, despite the ban on entry. We further ask the Government to go before the United Nations Security Council to request that the issue of incitement to genocide be referred to the International Criminal Court. Last, but certainly not least, we ask Canada, a signatory to the Genocide Convention, to request that the International Court of Justice find Iran in violation of Article I of the Genocide Convention.
“Many voices from the four corners of the globe have called for charges to be laid against the Iranian president for incitement to genocide. We must now move beyond words to action. The obligation to prevent genocide includes an obligation to influence others to act against the threat of genocide Ahmadinejad poses. Waiting for genocide to happen is not acceptable. Canada must lead this charge on the world stage.”
B’nai Brith representatives will also be meeting later in the day with officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and diplomats from UN Security Council member states to press this case forward. To access the indictment against the Iranian president on charges of incitement to genocide, click on the following link:
