Announcements
- On 26 March, MIGS hosted Uyghur politician and human rights activist Dolkun Isa. MIGS came under considerable pressure from the Chinese consulate in Montreal to cancel the event, which drew significant media attention. The story was first covered by La Presse, then by Radio-Canada International (RCI) and the CBC, followed by the National Post, Radio Canada international, the Calgary Herald, the Ottawa Citizen, the Montreal Gazette, CBC news, CJAD 800, and Phil Gurski.
- Save the Date 2-3 June: MIGS, in partnership with Amnesty International Canada francophone, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and the Armenian National Committee of Québec, will convene the #RightsCity initiative. The public conference to be held at Concordia University on June 3rd will include speakers Roméo Dallaire, Irwin Cotler, ambassador Jeremy Kinsman and human rights activist Shaparak Shajarizadeh.
- MIGS is happy to welcome a new fellow: Joe Landry, Senior Analyst for the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program at Global Affairs Canada.
- On April 7th, MIGS co-founder Frank Chalk will attend the commemoration for the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide in Kigali
Upcoming Events
April 3
- MIGS will be hosting the rescheduled event: “Old Hatreds in a New World: A Panel Discussion on Online Antisemitism” with guest speakers Steve McDonald the director of policy and strategic communications for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), Alyssa Blanc (CIJA) and James Rubec the product manager at Cision Canada. Registration is mandatory, and can be found here.
- MIGS is partnering with Human Rights Watch for the screening of “The Silence of Others” at the Toronto International Film Festival.
April 5
- MIGS will convene the Human Rights and Artificial Intelligence Forum at Concordia University’s new 4TH SPACE. Confirmed speakers include Enzo Maria Le Fevre Cervini (Italy Digital Agency), Tanya O’Carroll (Amnesty International), Alexander Görlach (Carnegie Council), Tara Denham (Global Affairs Canada), Abhishek Gupta (Montreal AI Ethics Institute), Erin Hunt (Mines Action Canada) and Zach Devereaux (Nexalogy). Registration is mandatory click here
April 7-8
- In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, MIGS will co-organize two activities in collaboration with PAGE Rwanda and other partners. On April 7th, an official ceremony will take place in Montreal at Marché Bonsecours. On April 8th, MIGS will co-organize a conference at the Canadian parliament titled “25 years after the last genocide of the 20th century: What have we learned.”
Recent events
March 18-19
- MIGS hosted a 2-day event on the fight to implement equitable peace in Colombia. Cinema Politica screened the 2018 documentary They’re Killing Us, which was followed by a workshop at MIGS with frontline human rights defender Héctor Marino Carabalí Charrupi and filmmakers Emily Wright, Tom Laffay, and Daniel Bustos.
March 21
- MIGS fellow Andrei Serbin Pont spoke at a panel discussion on the responsibility to protect in the Americas. The event was organized thanks to the partnership between the Organization of American States and the Stanley Foundation.
March 25
- In partnership with Global Affairs Canada, MIGS delivered a one-day training course on social media and public diplomacy for Canadian diplomats in Ottawa.
March 28
- MIGS hosted a discussion with Colonel McKenna, former commander of the Canadian Task Force in Mali who was in charge of overseeing Operation Presence
Advocacy
March 21
- MIGS executive director Kyle Matthews co-signed a collective article published in French online newspapers Libération, calling for the freedom of the Uyghur population
In the media
- MIGS distinguished senior fellow Roméo Dallaire receives the first-ever Public Humanist award from the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Humanities “for his tireless efforts to change the world for the better”. In the light of this event, he shares his thoughts on activism today.
- MIGS digital fellow and Senior Director of Programs at the Centre for Civilians in Conflict Shannon N. Green speaks on US President Donald Trump’s recent decision to revoke a decree aimed at making the CIA provide information on the victims of drone strikes.
March 7
- MIGS digital fellow Ewelina U. Ochab calls for urgent action to stop the Nicaraguan government from silencing opposition in her article on Forbes online edition.
March 8
- MIGS digital fellow Joana Cook urges Canada to bring the women and children of ISIS home in CBS article.
- In light of International Women’s Day, Ewelina U. Ochab reflects on the current situation concerning women’s rights and asks: “What more can the law do for women?”
March 15
- MIGS digital fellow Humera Khan spoke to PBS journalist Judy Woodruff to discuss the “broader social movement” represented by New Zealand mosque killer.
March 16
- MIGS digital fellow André Gagné, voices his concerns on far-right extremism in the wake of the New Zealand mass shooting on Radio Canada.
- MIGS digital fellow Ewelina U. Ochab relays Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad’s call for more action to help the abducted Yazidi women and girls.
March 18
- On his blog, MIGS Digital Fellow Phil Gurski published a post titled “The links between genocide and terrorism”
March 19
- MIGS digital fellow Anne Speckhard gave her analysis on the military and ideological training forced upon ISIS children.
March 21
- Ahead of the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, MIGS digital fellow Ewelina U. Ochab addresses the issue of forced organ removal in China in a Forbes article.
March 23
- MIGS digital fellow Ewelina U. Ochab writes for Forbes to remember the transatlantic slave trade and highlight several examples of what she calls’ modern-day slavery.
March 25
- MIGS fellow Andrei Serbin Pont wrote in the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional about the support provided by the Russian military forces to Venezuela.
- Phil Gurski had a column in The Hill Times titled “Can we talk about terrorists without glorifying them?”
March 27
- MIGS digital fellow Ewelina U. Ochab wrote a piece on the issue of foreign fighter returnees in Forbes magazine.
March 28
- Kyle Matthews, executive director of MIGS was interviewed for a piece in the Kingston Whig Standard about the need to prosecute ISIS for crimes against humanity
- MIGS fellow Andrei Serbin Pont wrote about Russia’s decision to maintain military forces in Venezuela despite President Trump’s warning.
March 29
- MIGS executive director Kyle Matthews sat down with Breakfast Television Montreal for a panel discussion on extremism and radicalization.