RE: [Fwd: FC: Scientology online critic flees to Canada, seeks asylum]

From: CurtAdams@aol.com
Date: Thu May 17 2001 - 14:49:30 MDT


In a message dated 5/17/01 9:15:37 AM, mail@HarveyNewstrom.com writes:

>> but they would grant asylum if they thought the conviction
>> or the punishment was inappropriate.

>Has Canada or any other country actually granted U.S. citizens asylum from
>the U.S. government?

Western European countries have refused to extradite people subject to
possible execution in the US. Not quite asylum but it's close. I can't
think of any explicit asylum grants, nor could I find any browsing the
Web. I did find two denials - a Communist in the Netherlands and a
medical marijuana advocate in BC.

>I may be more jaded, but I don't think the U.S. would ever grant asylum
>from
>a country we were friendly with. I think we only use asylum against
>countries that we accuse of systemic human rights abuses. If we or other
>countries started intervening into individual cases on their own merits,it
>would become politically difficult. I would expect government officials
>to avoid these kinds of difficulties at all costs.

There was a recent case where a Mexican transexual applied for asylum
based on the grounds that Mexican police had threatened their life.
I don't know if it was granted, but it was at least seriously considered.
The government officials were rather distressed at having to deal with
the problem, but once the asylum petition is made they no longer have
a good way to dodge it.



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