Vlogger and Epanaw Sambayanan Party third nominee Jeffrey Celiz could not escape his troubles even in North America as various rights groups have asked the Canadian government to kick him out of the country.
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) in Canada, along with Migrante-Canada and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Canada, has written to authorities to declare Celiz “inadmissible to Canada due to his red-tagging and other human rights violation activities.”
In a letter dated February 25, the groups pointed out that Celiz has recently been ordered to pay PHP 2 million in damages as civil liability for his red-tagging statements against journalist Atom Araullo.
The letter was addressed to the Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Minister of Public Safety, Immigration Critic, the Office of Citizenship Fraud Tips as well as to a member of the Parliament.
“Celiz has a documented history of red-tagging, of publicly labeling individuals and organizations, as affiliated with communist insurgencies, thus, putting activists, human rights defenders, and even journalists at grave risk,” the urgent appeal for action reads.
The letter said Celiz’s activities in Canada threaten the safety of individuals who sought refuge there from persecution in the Philippines and of Filipino Canadians critical of the Philippine government’s human rights record and policies.
Celiz is in Canada to extend his harmful propaganda to North America, the groups said.
“His presence and actions endanger individuals, including protected persons and convention refugees, who have sought safety in Canada after being persecuted due to red-tagging,” they said.
“This ongoing threat requires urgent action to prevent Celiz from using Canada as a platform to continue his attacks on progressive organizations and individuals. We have verified through social media and other sources that Celiz is actively organizing in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario,” they added.
The groups also sent photographs and reports along with their appeal confirming Celiz’s presence in Canada.
They also cited Canadian laws against the likes of Celiz who are security threats, human rights violators and are convicted of criminal activities.
ICHRP called on the Canadian government to:
- Declare Celiz inadmissible to Canada
- 2. Investigate and monitor his activities in Canada
- 3. Revoke his visa, residency, or citizenship if applicable
- 4. Prevent his entry into Canada if he is already outside of the country, and
- 5. Provide protection for victims and activists in Canada.
Allowing individuals like Celiz to operate within our borders contradicts these principles and endangers vulnerable communities,” ICHRP added. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
