Human rights activists in the Tri-Cities are rallying around one of their fellow Amnesty International members who is appealing for help to provide medical aid to of Kurdish refugees in the Middle East.
Mohamad Khademyani lives in Coquitlam but was born and raised in Eastern Kurdistan in northern Iran. He was chosen as a candidate in the local municipal election, according to a press release from the Tri-Cities Amnesty group.
"I presented my personal platform in Kurdish," Khademyani says, adding that he knew he was under surveillance by Iranian intelligence services. "After a few months, I got arrested, [was] brutally tortured and was given a mock execution."
The release states that he spent 95 days in prison without access to a lawyer and, following a trial of sorts, was sentenced to eight years in prison but fled to Turkey after being released for 20 days prior to beginning to serve his sentence.
Accepted as an UN-registered refuge, Khademyani was selected by the Canadian embassy in Turkey and arrived in Vancouver in 2000. Despite facing many challenges in his new country - including the language barrier, cultural shock and unemployment - he reached out to Canadian politicians and human right activists in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to help 12 Kurdish political prisoners under sentence of death. Since then, he has worked to raise awareness and supplies for Kurds forced to flee their homes and who are now packed into refugee camps across the region.
He recently reached out to local Amnesty members and, having heard his story, they immediately pitched in.
On Tuesday, Oct. 7, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., the group is hosting a pub night at the Burrard Public House, 2414 St Johns St., Port Moody; tickets cost $20 and include a burger and a beverage. All proceeds will be sent to Health Partners International Canada, which is providing medical aid in the refugee camps. For tickets, call 604-941-2606 or 604-464-7706.
