The Canada Committee

The Canada Committee seeks to increase awareness of local and global human rights issues and enlist the public and governments to support basic rights for all. Committee members meet regularly to learn about human rights crises and policies and support Human Rights Watch through outreach, education and fundraising initiatives.

Membership in the Human Rights Watch Canada Committee provides an inside perspective on one of the most exciting and effective international organizations. The Canada Committee is composed of opinion leaders from a variety of backgrounds. It was launched out of the belief that an informed and engaged constituency is essential for the defense of fundamental freedoms.

Canada Committee members have access to regular briefings by Human Rights Watch investigators, senior government officials, and informed observers. These sessions provide a unique and sophisticated perspective on breaking news and today’s most serious global problems. Canada Committee members strengthen Human Rights Watch and its global defense of essential liberties by contributing financially to its work, attracting potential supporters, and promoting the organization’s message and concerns.

Human Rights Watch Annual Dinner Toronto

Voices For Justice 2008: Honouring those who speak out where there is silence

On November 14, Human Rights Watch will honour Bo Kyi and Umida Niazova, two individuals who defied their governments and spoke up for human rights.

As a former political prisoner and co-founder of the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners, Bo Kyi works tirelessly to secure the release of Burmese people who have been jailed for their political independence and activism. Over the last 20 years, Bo Kyi has demonstrated unfaltering courage, sharing his story and those of other political prisoners and exposing the Burmese military junta’s numerous abuses. Human Rights Watch honours Bo Kyi for his heroic efforts to speak out against Burmese repression and to advocate on behalf of those who have dared to criticize the military junta.

Umida Niazova embodies the struggle of Uzbek human rights defenders who, in spite of government repression, continue to speak out against the Uzbek government’s abuses. In the three years since government forces killed hundreds of unarmed protesters in the eastern city of Andijan, Uzbekistan’s rulers have continued to engage in widespread harassment, interrogations, house arrests, and arbitrary detention of civil society actors. Human Rights Watch honours Umida Niazova, who, at great personal sacrifice and risk, has advocated on behalf of her fellow citizens and compelled the international community to scrutinize the Uzbek government’s deplorable human rights record.

Please join us in recognizing them as we commemorate 30 years of relentlessly defending human rights around the world.

For ticket and table pricing, please go to http://hrw.kintera.org/2008DinnerToronto

For more information, please call (416) 322-8448