For Immediate Release — Wednesday, April 26th, 2017
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Press Conference:
Thursday, April 27th, 10h
School of Community and Public Affairs
Classroom on first floor
2149 Mackay Street
#BringBissanHome
Montréal’s Bissan Eid, a Concordia graduate student remains blocked in the Israeli military besieged Gaza Strip. Now eight-months pregnant, she continues to call on the Canadian government for support.
Given the current circumstances of Bissan’s difficult pregnancy, Bissan and her family have decided that the safest course of action is for Bissan to give birth in Gaza.
“The Canadian government has had over four months to intervene in support of Bissan,” outlined Hadi Eid, the father of Bissan, “yet, instead of taking action at the urgent request of Bissan and our family, the Canadian government failed to act and now Bissan will have to give birth in Gaza.”
As it has become impossible for Bissan to travel, we call on the Canadian government to coordinate with the Eid family to ensure that Bissan and her child are able to travel in late May or early June. We demand that the government act immediately to secure safe passage and full Canadian citizenship documents to both Bissan and her child, who by law will also be a Canadian citizen.
Since issuing a public call for support, Bissan’s struggle to return home to Canada has garnered support from the Concordia Student Union (CSU) and the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA), as well as many workers and faculty at Concordia University. A petition launched last week has attained over 850 signatures and a Concordia-specific open letter has attained 165 signatories from the Concordia community. School of Community and Public Affairs, Simone de Beauvoir Institute, and Concordia University Part-Time Faculty Association have all released public statements calling on the Canadian government to act immediately.
Amnesty International Québec is also publicly calling for the Canadian government to do more to support Bissan.
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For more information :
Tadamon! Montréal
info@tadamon.ca
http://www.tadamon.ca
* Graphic via ZOLA street art
