Cc: Minister@cic.gc.ca
Dear Prime Minister,
I am contacting you today with hope that you will stop any removal or deportation proceedings against James Corey Glass. Mr. Glass is a conscientious objector, who seeks to be a refugee to Canada, but is due for deportation on July 10th, 2008.
The US law recognizes the right to conscientious objection only on grounds of opposition to war in any form, and so, Mr. Glass was unable to apply for conscientious objector status because his objection was solely to the Iraq war.
According to a statement outlining his position, he had concerns about the legality of the war before he was deployed to Iraq. While serving there, he developed further serious objections to the war, including what he saw as the abusive treatment of civilians by US forces, and the military system's failure to address these abuses. He said he had reported his concerns to his superiors and asked to be relieved of duty. His request was denied but he was given two weeks' leave. He refused to return to his unit and went absent without leave in February 2006. So, while Mr. Glass went absent without leave, it appears that he took reasonable steps to secure his release from military obligations and asked to be relieved of duty.
I will consider Mr. Glass to be a prisoner of conscience if he is jailed on his return to the USA.
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