:: Appeal to Minister of Justice
The Honourable Robert Douglas Nicholson
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1A 0H8
On November 3, 2006, the former Minister of Justice issued a surrender order for the extradition of Joseph Pannell/Gary Freeman. Below is the petition urging the previous Minister of Justice - in the name of truth, peace, justice and human rights - to exercise his powers as per the Extradition Act to refuse to make a surrender order for the extradition of Joseph Pannell / Gary Freeman to the United States of America.
At every turn, the official voice of Canada proclaims a commitment to recognize, protect and defend multiculturalism and human rights. The decision by former Minister of Justice Vic Toews goes against these cherished Canadian values.
In this year, marking the 200th anniversary of the British abolition of the International Slave Trade, we, the undersigned, are asking you, the new Minister of Justice, to rescind the extradition decision of your predecessor and refuse to surrender Joseph Pannell/Gary Freeman to the United States.
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The Honourable Vic Toews
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1A 0H8
We, the undersigned, urge you to exercise your powers as per the Extradition Act to refuse to make a surrender order for the extradition of Joseph Pannell / Gary Freeman to the United States of America.
We are gravely concerned about the injustice Joseph Pannell / Gary Freeman may suffer if returned to the United States, given that:
- Pannell / Freeman, an African-American male, would very likely not receive a fair trial when the primary witness against him is a white police officer, a concern which finds supporting evidence in numerous reports by human rights organizations documenting the ongoing legacy of racial bias in the American judicial system;
- the allegations relate to an incident which occurred over thirty-five years ago in the highly charged atmosphere of racial tension and police repression then present in the African American community of Chicago;
- there are significant inconsistencies, omissions and contradictions in the evidence offered by the United States in support of the request for extradition;
- the quality of the evidence and witnesses in this case may have deteriorated to such a degree as to make a reasonable assessment unlikely;
- the decision by Joseph Pannell / Gary Freeman to flee the United States and come to Canada, based on what would appear to be a sincere and well-founded belief that he would not receive a fair trial in early 70's Chicago, may cause prejudice in any further judicial proceedings;
- there is a real possibility of retaliatory punishment due to the nature of the allegations, in particular by guards at Cook County Jail where a recent grand jury has found severe mistreatment of detainees, or at the hands of the Chicago police, whose patterns of abuse, including torture, of suspects in custody have been documented by the respected organization Human Rights Watch and others;
- we believe the best interests of justice would not be served by sending Joseph Pannell / Gary Freeman back to the United States, especially since his pre-trial custody in the United States and now in Canada would be equivalent under Canadian sentencing practice to as much as ten years of detention;
- serious questions have been raised about the fundamental justice of the Extradition Act (1999) in relation to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and international human rights.
After over thirty years in Canada, raising a family of four with his Canadian wife, Gary Freeman would be uprooted from a life as a dedicated father and highly valued member of the community.
We appeal to you to allow Gary Freeman to return to his family where he can continue serving as mentor and inspiration to the young, treating every human being as worthy of respect and promoting social justice.