• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: STOP DEPORTATION OF HEALTHCARE WORKER (Canada: UA 82.22)

September 12, 2022

Mamadou Konaté is an immigrant worker from Ivory Coast who is at risk of deportation on September 30, 2022. In 2021, global mobilization by Amnesty International stopped his deportation but the Canadian government has set a new date. Risking his life if returned to Ivory Coast, the Canadian government must not deport him.

TAKE ACTION:
  1. Please take action as-soon-as possible. This Urgent Action expires on September 30, 2022.
  2. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
  3. Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 82.22. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.
CONTACT INFORMATION
The Honourable Sean Fraser Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0A6 Telephone: 613-992-6022 | Fax: 613-992-2337 Email: [email protected]
Ambassador Kirsten Hillman Embassy of Canada 501 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC 20001 Phone: 202 682 1740 I Fax: 202 682 7726 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @CanEmbUsa ; @KristenHillmanA Salutation: Dear Ambassador
SAMPLE LETTER Dear Minister, I am writing to bring to your attention the case of Mamadou Konaté, an Ivorian immigrant worker who has been living in Canada for six years and is threatened with deportation on September 30, 2022. Mr. Konaté had previously been scheduled for deportation on November 19, 2021, then a federal judge granted a stay of deportation. I was pleased when Mr. Konaté’s deportation was stopped, and I am alarmed by the news that it has been reinstated. Mr. Konaté worked performing janitorial tasks in residential and long-term care facilities accompanying seniors in care as one of Canada’s “Guardian Angels” through months of fear and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Mr. Konaté’s fate is uncertain as the prospect of imminent deportation looms. Having received threats after trying to leave Ivory Coast at first and then in 2016 when he returned to the country, if he is deported by the Canadian government, his life would be in danger. I am deeply concerned about the outcome of Mr. Konaté’s case and I call on the Government of Canada to act quickly to put an end to this situation. Canada must respect its international obligations, in particular the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), ratified by Canada in 1987. Article 3.1 of this Convention stipulates “No State Party shall expel, return (“refouler”) or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.” As Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, you have the authority to stop the current deportation process of Mr. Konaté and to ensure that Canada respects its international obligations by not deporting a person at risk of torture. I therefore call on you to halt the deportation of Mr. Konaté to allow him to escape the violence and abuse he may face if deported to Ivory Coast. Your action is an opportunity to prevent Mr. Konaté’s fate from being changed, but also to commit to upholding the human rights of all people in Canada. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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