Daily Archives: August 6, 2021

B.C. non-profit challenges Health Canada to end 50-year prohibition on magic mushrooms – CBC.ca

Posted: August 6, 2021 at 10:27 pm

A B.C.-based non-profit organization is challenging Health Canada to end a nearly 50-year prohibition against possessing so-called magic mushroomsand thepotent psychedelics they produce.

TheraPsil, which advocates for the therapeutic use of the psychedelic compoundpsilocybin, spent months drafting proposed regulations for so-called magic mushrooms based on the same ones the federal government first created 20 years ago for medicinal cannabis.

TheraPsil CEO Spencer Hawkswell saidhis organization sent a 165-page proposal to Health Canada's director general Jennifer Saxe.

"This is taking all of the bureaucratic processes, all of the hard work that people put into cannabis, such as how to apply for a license if you want to grow it ... and just making it the exact same for psilocybin," Hawkswell said.

The document deals with managing every aspect of licensinggrowers and sellers, from who can be involved, where they can be located, quality control, security and packaging.There are also provisions in the draftfor patients to register to grow their own, as well as a formula for calculating how much an individual can grow, based on the amount of mycelium, the branch-like organism that produces the mushroom as fruit.

Psilocybin is prohibited in Canada by the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA).The drug has been illegal since 1975.But just last year, the health minister started using her authority under a section of the act to grant legal exemptions, mainly to people with terminal illness and treatment-resistant depression.

To date, 64 patients and therapists have received legal exemptions from Health Canada, which are valid for one year. But the department acknowledges more than 150 applications it has received have gone unanswered.

WATCH |B.C. researchers harness the 'magic' of psychedelic mushrooms:

Hawkswell saidHealth Canada's director general was open to receiving his organization's attempt at drafting a legal framework.

"I mean, they're giving exemptions to patients who have to find a substance on the street and who are unable to get help from a doctor and a therapist," he said.

Hawkswell said it isa safety issue that is entirely within Health Canada's mandate to consider.

Paul Manly, Green Party MP for Nanaimo-Ladysmithin B.C., hasn't seen the draft regulations, but he suggests regulating psilocybin is inevitable.

"The government initially,with medical cannabis regulation, had to be pushed through the courts,"Manly said. "Now, I think that they're starting to look at the research ... that psilocybin can be used for a range of mental health issues, including PTSD and depression."

Nathan Erskine-Smith, Liberal MP for Beaches-East York in Ontario, a self-described decriminalization advocate, welcomes psilocybin regulation.He's hesitant to gauge how much backing the idea has, even in his own party, especially ahead of a rumoured election, but he saidthere is support across party lines.

"Post-election, I think there is room to continue to move the conversation forward and to see progress."

TheraPsil isn't the only group eyeing regulations to make possession and use of psilocybin and the mushrooms which produce it, a matter between a doctor and patient.The Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies and the Canadian Psychedelic Association (CPA) are also drafting their own regulatory blueprints for Health Canada to consider.

Dr. Pamela Kryskow is a founding board member of the CPA.

"I think Health Canada is in a difficult position," she said. "And we think that because we've really gone through this, really thoroughly and really thoughtfully, that this will hopefully be a gift to them to have done their work for them."

Jim Doswell is a former federal treaty negotiator with First Nations in B.C. who has himself applied for a ministerial exemption to use psilocybin to aid in his therapy for PTSD. He hasoffered TheraPsil his insights into the regulatory process as the group was drafting its proposals. Doswell is under no illusion that Health Canada will act quickly, or at all, on any suggestions for regulation, no matter how complete or comprehensive they may be.

"All they have to do is agree, but of course, it's never that simple. The bureaucrats will have to go over it with a fine tooth comb. And then you have the political side of it," Doswell said, referring tothe perceived political consequences of legalizing a psychedelic that's been banned since 1974.

Neither Health Canada nor its director general were available to comment.The department's official stance is to endorse clinical trials as a means to further study psilocybin's potential benefits and risks. Advocates, however, say enough scientific studies have been done to warrant regulation now.

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Could psychedelic drugs revolutionise mental health care in the UK? – ITV News

Posted: at 10:27 pm

ITV News' Natalia Jorquera visits the clinic that is looking to offer psychedelic drugs to patients as part of their mental health treatment

TheUKs first psychedelic assisted therapy clinic of its kindplans to open its doors to the public this autumn.

The clinic wants to combine psychedelic drugs - including ketamine and MDMA - with psychotherapy to treat patients with a wide range of mental health problems.

Dr Ben Sessa, Chief Medical Officer at Awakn Life Sciences in Bristol, believes psychedelic assisted psychotherapy will turn on its head the way traditional pharmacology is used in psychiatry.

We tend to treat psychiatric problems with maintenance therapy. You take an antidepressant every day, day in, day out for weeks, months, years, decades to mask your symptoms", Dr Sessa told ITV News.

"Now, the way we use psychedelic assisted psychotherapy is very different. You take the drug only one, two or three times alongside psychotherapy in order to get better and then not need to take daily drugs.

What are psychedelics?

Psychedelics are a loosely grouped class of drugs that are able to induce altered thoughts and sensory perceptions, some can induce hallucinations.

Ketamine

The initial treatment offered when Awakn's clinic opens later this year will be ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Ketamine, is a Class A drug so it is illegal for recreational use, but approved for medical use and has been shown in several clinical trials to offer a brief, rapid antidepressant effect.Initially the clinic will offer patients will a nine week course of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, which involves 11 visits to the clinic. On four of those occasions, a patient take ketamine assisted by their therapist, with the majority of the sessions will be 'talking therapy'.Although Dr Sessa hopes that one day their services will be available on the NHS, the therapy course will be for private patients, costing 6,000.

However, ketamine isnt the only psychedelic medicine that Awakn plans to offer. Dr Sessa believes in the next couple of years that MDMA and psilocybin known more commonly as magic mushrooms - will be approved for medical use, as both are in advanced stages of clinical trials in the UK.

Psilocybin

Imperial College London launched the first psychedelic research centre in the world looking at the use of psychedelics in mental health care and have recently conducted trials into comparing psilocybin therapy with a conventional antidepressant drug.

Research leader, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr Robin Carhart-Harris told ITV News that their initial findings were very promising.

Results were quite consistent showing that the psilocybin therapy was really quite markedly better at reducing depressive symptoms. And actually more than that, it was also able to improve quality of life.

During the Imperial trial, all participants received talking therapy alongside taking either psilocybin or escitalopram the conventional antidepressant. Response rates in the psilocybin group averaged at70%, compared with 48% in the escitalopram group.

How does psilocybin work in the brain?

Like other psychedelic drugs is it works on a part of the brain or a system in the brain called serotonin system and serotonin. And the particular aspect of it that psychedelics work on is involved in something that we call plasticity, which means the ability of something to change, to be shaped or moulded", Dr Carhart-Harris said.

In Imperials brain imaging research they found that psilocybin increased plasticity and opened up new communication pathways.

As well as psilocybin, scientists also believe you can use MDMA to access a brain state where brain plasticity increases.

MDMA

Earlier this year the first published study of advanced clinical trial using MDMA in the US was found to be highly effective in treating PTSD. Researchers at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), found that after three MDMA sessions, 67% of participants no longer qualified for a PTSD diagnosis and88% experienced a reduction in symptoms.This data is why UK charity Supporting Wounded Veterans, backed by the head of the UK Armed Forces, General Sir Nick Carter, is calling for a UK trial.Gilly Norton, director of Supporting Wounded Veterans told ITV News that they see so many veterans with PTSD who are treatment resistant that they are are in need of a new therapy.

We see so many desperate veterans coming to us for help, most of them have been in treatment for about 10 years and not with great success, she said.

"There have been known new treatments in mental health now for 30 years and the medicine cabinet is completely bare.

The charity has been fundraising securing 300,000 from NHS England for UK clinical trials,but a gap of around 725,000 means that British veterans suffering from PTSD could face years of delays in receiving MDMA-assisted therapy, because regulatory approval is not possible without UK research.

For veteran Martin Wade, who came back from his tour in Afghanistan with PTSD, trials cant come soon enough.

My body's in a state of tension, I suffer with chronic pain. I am hypervigilant, I jump at even modest, unexpected sounds. I still have intrusive thoughts and nightmares and I just find daily living a struggle", he said.

Martin has had over 1,000 hours of therapy and has tried almost every method, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). Nothing has provided him with much alleviation of his symptoms, so a treatment with such high success rate is what he's looking for.

When asked why he wanted to try this new therapy and what a life without PTSD would mean to him, Martin said: I would love to have a greater sense of inner wellbeing. So when I smile on the outside, I can feel it in the inside.

MDMA and psilocybin became Class A drugs under theMisuse of Drugs Act 1971, halting all research into them. Although this didnt stop people from taking them, it did create a stigma around them that they were only party drugs. It was only 15 years ago that psychedelic research was able to resume, but the substances do come with possible adverse effects - some psychedelic drug could cause extreme dissociation from reality, panic attacks and nausea.

The UKs Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs are currently considering barriers to legitimate research with controlled drugs, but told ITV News that there are no plans to reschedule MDMA under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.

However, that hasn't stopped millions of pounds being invested in the area - new startups are developing psychedelic initiatives and clinics around the world. The psychedelic market has been estimated to be worth around 5 billion by 2027.

The US state of Oregon have voted in favour of legalising psilocybin therapy and will begin treatments in 2023, so when do scientists think psychedelics could be a real alternative to conventional medicine?

Both Dr Sessa and Dr Carhart-Harris believe that MDMA and psilocybin will be licenced in the UK by 2025. At the moment, psychedelics still remain an experimental treatment and more research is needed in the area before they stand a chance of becoming a mainstream mental health therapy option in the UK.

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New poll shows a strong base of Canadians overwhelmingly support controlled legal access to psilocybin-assisted – GlobeNewswire

Posted: at 10:27 pm

Vancouver, BC, Aug. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A Nanos Research Survey released today by the Canadian Psychedelic Association (CPA) shows 82 percent of Canadians approve the use of psilocybin-assisted therapy for people suffering from an end-of-life illness, and 78 percent would support a government that legalized psilocybin-assisted therapy to improve the quality of life for palliative and end-of-life patients. Commissioned between June 30 - July 5, 2021, the survey results mark an historic time for Canadas leading voice on psychedelic therapy as the Association prepares to introduce a collaborative effort to bring regulatory change to Health Canada.

With public support at an all-time high, the CPA will now focus on introducing evidence-informed regulations to officials at Health Canada.

The CPA and other experts from across Canada have been meeting with Members of Parliament, senior government officials, representatives from all parties, and national stakeholders over the past 10 months and encountered unanimous support for access to psilocybin therapy with a palliative diagnosis. After meetings in May with the Parliamentary Review Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), committee members moved to have Thomas Hartle, the first palliative Canadian to receive a section 56 exemption for psilocybin-assisted therapy, appear and testify before Committee when Parliament resumes this fall.

Dr. Pamela Kryskow, a medical doctor and psychedelic researcher notes, it is encouraging that this is an issue that all political parties support and Canadians have given their endorsement for. We see this as a green light for Health Canada to proceed with the regulations.

Although the Canadian Government, led by Minister of Health Patti Hajdu, has implemented a number of progressive steps toward increasing access to psilocybin-assisted therapies, members of both the medical and legal communities in Canada believe that such steps still leave too many Canadians with undue depression, anxiety and mental anguish, particularly Canadians in palliative care or at end-of-life.

Dr. Kryskow has witnessed firsthand what legal access to psychedelic medicine can do for Canadians in need of new treatment options.

The proof is in the research and patient improvement. Weve seen positive clinical evidence that shows that psilocybin-assisted therapy works tremendously well for addressing many mental health challenges where other

options are ineffective. The healthcare practitioners are ready, the patients deserve this, and were ready to provide this medical service to Canadians.

Cory Firth, the Executive Director of the Canadian Psychedelic Association is confident the proposed amendments will continue our collaborative effort with Health Canada.

The MORA was prepared by some of the best researchers, industry, legal and regulatory experts in Canada, says Firth. As the voice of psychedelics in Canada we made sure that no stone was left unturned in our efforts to bring timely and effective regulatory change to Canadians at end-of-life and suffering from various treatment-resistant mental health conditions.

Multiple universities across Canada are developing psychedelic medicine programs and many have already offered courses.

Private clinics across Canada are preparing for the provision of these services. Ronan Levy of Field Trip Health Ltd.,a global leader in the development and delivery of psychedelic therapies and a CPA member, commented: "As a society, we've implemented processes and procedures to ensure the health and safety of Canadians, particularly as it pertains to medicines. With psychedelics, we have centuries of therapeutic use and countless clinical trials attesting to their safety and efficacy. The cost-benefit analysis strongly favours prompt access to psychedelic therapies especially if implemented via the well-considered, balanced approach set forth in the MORA."

Empowered by our strong membership base of citizens, professionals, First Nations and Indigenous advisors as well as the emerging psychedelic business community, the Canadian Psychedelic Association is united by the need for access to psychedelic medicines for patients who need it most.

Nanos Research Survey snapshot:

The CPA engaged Nanos Research to ascertain the level of support among Canadians for mushroom-based psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. From June 30 July 5 2021, Nanos conducted a random telephone survey of 1,051 Canadians, 18 years of age or older. The sample is geographically stratified to be representative of Canada. The margin of error for a random survey of 1,051 Canadians is 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Full survey attached to press release.

To arrange an interview please contact Cory Firth: cory@psychedelicassociation.net, 613-650-7177

About The Canadian Psychedelic Association (CPA):

The Canadian Psychedelic Association (CPA) is a non-profit organization focused on advancing legal and ethical frameworks for medical and therapeutic psychedelic use in Canada through local, national and international collaboration. As Canadas voice in psychedelics, it is with respect and reverence for ancestral traditions, and current innovations that the CPA leads the way through merging paradigms; to a future where Canada inspires the world with its approach to treating and promoting mental wellness.

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Filament Health is the First Public Company to be Issued a Patent for Extraction of Natural Psilocybin – Yahoo Finance

Posted: at 10:27 pm

Filament's patent describes the extraction of stable, standardized doses of psychoactive compounds at its Health Canada-licensed, GMP-certified facility

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 3, 2021 /CNW/ - Filament Health Corp. (NEO: FH) ("Filament" or the "Company"), a leading exclusively-natural psychedelic drug development company, today announced that it is the first public company to be issued a patent by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office for the extraction and standardization of natural psilocybin and associated psychoactive compounds. The patent describes essential technology for transforming variable psychedelic raw materials into pharmaceutical-grade standardized extracts.

http://www.filament.health (CNW Group/Filament Health Corp.)

This successful issuance validates Filament's intellectual property strategy and sets the Company in good stead for allowances of pending patents covering additional elements of its proprietary technologies.

"We are proud to lead the industry with this first issued natural extraction patent. This approval represents important progress in the development of our intellectual property," said Benjamin Lightburn, Chief Executive Officer. "At Filament Health, we know that nature is a valuable source of medicine, but that certain technologies are necessary to bring natural products up to a pharmaceutical grademost importantly, through standardization."

Filament has developed innovative technology to extract and standardize a stable dose of natural psilocybin in order to overcome crop-to-crop and flush-to-flush variability. Previous methods of natural extraction have experienced challenges relating to poor yields, stability, and repeatability. As a result, synthetic preparations of psilocybin have become the industry standard. Leveraging decades of natural extraction expertise, Filament has overcome these issues to produce a superior product at a lower cost.

"This achievement affirms Filament's talent for innovation and demonstrates that we recognize the importance of protecting shareholder value," said Taran Grey, Director of Intellectual Property (IP). "The concern that a third party could irreparably interfere with our operations by asserting IP against us is no longer the same threat as it is for others."

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The issuance of Filament's patent comes soon after the Company was granted an amendment to its Health Canada Dealer's License on July 28, 2021, which allows for broad operations with all controlled natural psychedelic substances.

ABOUT FILAMENT HEALTHFilament is an exclusively-natural psychedelic drug discovery and extraction technology company. Its mission is to see safe, approved, natural psychedelics in the hands of everyone who needs them as soon as possible. Filament believes measurable and efficacious medicines will be a catalyst to addressing many of the world's mental health problems and that natural psychedelics provide an optimal option for widespread adoption of these substances. Filament engages in natural extraction technology commercialization, utilizing its intellectual property portfolio, in-house GMP facility, and Health Canada Dealer's License for all natural psychedelics. Filament is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia and trades on Canada's NEO Exchange (NEO:FH).

Learn more at http://www.filament.health and on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATIONCertain statements and information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information," respectively, under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "believe", "intends", "forecast", "plans", "guidance" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements or information. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect the current expectations of management of Filament regarding future results or events and are based on information currently available to them. Certain material factors and assumptions were applied in providing these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements discussed in this press release may include, but are not limited to, information concerning compliance with extensive government regulation; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; Filament's expectations concerning its ability conduct clinical trials; the timing and results of such clinical trials; the nature, timing, and possible success of Filament's Health Canada Dealer's License amendment on Filament's business and controlled natural psychedelic substances; and the impact and accessibility of psychedelic treatments. Forward-looking statements regarding the Company are based on the Company's estimates and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements of Filament to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including capital expenditures and other costs. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Filament will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Filament Health Corp.

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After the revolution, Sudanese women ask whats next? – The World

Posted: at 10:26 pm

On a late Friday night in Khartoum, a small crowd of young men and women dances at Al-Sutooh, a newly opened rooftop venue that holds cultural events in the city.

A popular female singer, Mahdia, sings in Arabic to a live band as Samia al-Jalabee, the venues owner, pulls members of the audience to their feet, encouraging them to dance.

Until now, a lot of events happened in closed areas. The rooftop is a new idea, Jalabee explained. Its an idea of a free space a place directly open to the sky.

Related:Two years after revolution, Christians in Sudan evaluate gains

Jalabee opened the rooftop venuethis year, and its one of few places in Khartoum to enjoy live music. The place serves coffee, tea and snacks.

For 32-year-old Jalabee, the rooftop symbolizes the newly gained freedoms that women, in particular, have had in Sudan since the 2019 revolution that saw former president Omar-al Bashir ousted from office after 30 years in power.

Today in Sudan, women can freely wear their hair uncovered in public and wear trousers. Women now hold top positions in leadership and genital mutilation has been banned.

Some women in Sudan say that the new governments changes are a good start for undoing historic, gender-based oppression, but that the country has a long way to go on womens rights.

We were suffering from the old laws for 30 years.

We were suffering from the old laws for 30 years, said Jalabee, who was one of countless Sudanese who took to the streets to reject Bashirs oppressive, Islamic regime.

In particular, the Public Order law of 1991, which said anyone who commits an indecent act in public, or wears indecent clothes can be flogged, fined or both. The morality law was enforced by special police with a broad mandate for interpretation.

Related:Sudans troubled attempt at education reform

At Al-Sutooh, some youngwomentold The World they would have never attended a public event like this with their hair uncovered or danced openly with men out of fear of arrest under the Public Order law.

Its a law that actually that the government put, so as to hinder the movement, hinder the mobility of the women, said Manal Abdulharim, a womens rights activist.

The law was one of the first repealed by the new, civilian-led, transitional government in 2019.

For Abdulrahim, it was the culmination of decades of women-led activism to challenge the strict Islamic laws of the former regime.

Young women, they were actually leading the revolution.

Young women, they were actually leading the revolution, she noted.

Since then, however, Abdulrahim has noted with concern the slow pace of womens rights and gender equality since 2019 and questioned whether the new government will live up to its promises for reform.

Only a handful of women have been appointed to top leadership positions, including the minister of foreign affairs, since 2019, and some, notably two state governors, have faced local opposition to their appointments.

Related:Sudans troubled attempt at education reform

Abdulrahim said the government is not prioritizing gender equality or issues that impact women, like the reform of the conservative 1991 Muslim Personal Law Act of Sudan which governs legal codes about marriage, divorce and the family.

Most of the personal status law comes from Islamic law and is personal jurisprudence of religious scholars, explained Salwa Bassem Youssef Mohamia, a Sudanese lawyer who has worked with the Ministry of Justice to review proposed amendments to Bashir-era laws.

The law, which states that married women must obey their husbands and makes the age of consent for marriage puberty has been criticized by human rights activists for years.

Still, Mohamia notes some positive developments for women's rights. This year, Sudan ratified two international treaties: The Maputo Protocol and the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

But the nearly all-male council that signed the latter pact didnt endorse the parts of the convention that declare women are equal to men at political and social levels or have equal rights in marriage, divorce and parenting.

For many, these reservations were a sign of how remaining representatives of the former regime, conservative Islamists in particular, are resistant to fundamental social and legal changes.

They are there and ready to prevent any changes to religious basics, Mohamia said. So, now, they are working hard to not make any drastic changes.

Still, Mohamia argues that the biggest impediment to change comes from within Sudanese society itself. Even among women, there is little consensus about sensitive issues like inheritance and polygamy, which are shaped not only by religion but also by cultural and traditional practices and norms.

At the Coffee Republic cafin the upscale Riyadh neighborhood of Khartoum, well-dressed young people mingle, hang out and go on dates.

After the revolution ... girls in general, got comfortable, guys got comfortable, you know, going out on dates in public places, explained Rudy Mohammed, a 20-year-old international relations student.

But for Mohammed, the changes in Sudan make her uncomfortable.

I was raised to be religious, and then the whole, staying out of trouble.

I was raised to be religious, and then the whole, staying out of trouble, she said that meant, dressing modestly in public, not hanging out with boys, or staying out late.

She criticized how some young people are taking advantage of their new freedoms to wear inappropriate clothing, drink and smoke. She fears they are setting a bad example for children.

Related:After the revolution, a secular Sudan?

While the old laws were too strict, Mohammed said they also made sense for the country.

I feel like they had they had things under control, Mohammed said. At the end of the day the majority of Sudanese people are religious.

The laws were there to make sure the principles of Islam were followed, she said, and to protect morality in the country.

But shes conflicted about where the line should be drawn between religion and state.

For example, she said the government should encourage people to dress modestly but not force women to cover their hair which is a personal religious decision.

Too many restrictions will always backfire, she said.

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Delhi government orders judicial investigation into alleged rape and murder of 9-year-old Dalit girl – JURIST

Posted: at 10:26 pm

The Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, on Wednesdayordered a judge-led investigation into the alleged rape, murder and forced cremation of a nine-year-old girl. The girl belonged to the Dalit caste, which has historically endured oppression, deprivation and extreme discrimination at the hands of Indias upper-caste Hindus.

TheDelhi police arrested four individuals in connection with the heinous crime two days after it was committed amid rising protests demanding death penalty for the accused. The four suspects include an upper-caste Hindu priest, Radhey Shyam, and three of his associatesKuldeep, Laxmi Narain and Saleem.

The girls family alleged that the girl went to the crematorium on Sunday evening to get cold water. Later, the priest summoned the girls mother to the crematorium and informed her that her daughter died due to electrocution. Further, the priest allegedly told the mother not to report the death because the girls organs would be stolen during the post mortem. Thereafter, the accused cremated the girls body without the mothers consent. The funeral pyre was only extinguished after the mothers cries were heard by nearby residents and she shared her suspicions that her daughter had been raped.

However, the medical board constituted to investigate the cause of death informed the police that the cause of death could not be determined because only burned remains were recovered from the funeral pyre. Initially, the police charged the accusedonly with culpable homicide, wrongful confinement and destruction of evidence. However, after protests erupted and the family gave a statement to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, the police added rape charges as well. Kejriwal assured the protestors and the general publicthat top lawyers will be engaged to get the culprits punished.

Meanwhile, theDelhi Commission For Women issued summons to Delhi police to produce the complete case file and report the actions taken by them in the matter. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights also tooksuo moto cognizance of the case and ordered the Delhi police to furnish a detailed report on the matter.

In September 2020, a similar case was reported in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, when a 19-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gang-raped by upper-caste men. After she died in the hospital, the police allegedlyhurriedly cremated her body without the familys consent.

Sexual violence against women in India has been on a rise in recent years. According to a reportby the National Crime Records Bureau in September 2020, crime against women increased by 7.3% in India in 2019, with over 32,000 registered cases of rape. Furthermore, crimes against Scheduled Castes also increased by 7.3% during the same period.

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August 2021 Reads for the Rest of Us – Ms. Magazine

Posted: at 10:26 pm

The Feminist Know-It-All: You know her. You cant stand her.Good thing shes not here!Instead, this column by gender and womens studies librarian Karla Strand will amplify stories of the creation, access, use and preservation of knowledge by women and girls around the world; share innovative projects and initiatives that focus on information, literacies, libraries and more; and, of course, talk about all of the books.

Each month, I provide Ms. readers with a list of new books being published by writers from historically excluded groups.

The aims of these lists are threefold:

Happy Summer!

I hope youve been able to enjoy some time doing things you love and that leave you feeling refreshed and recentered. With all the uncertainty and injustice in our daily lives, we each need to find ways to unplug and recharge. Of course, one way to do this is unwind with a great book. This list gives you 37 to choose from this month, from dark mysteries to feminist fantasies to gripping historical fiction.

As we head into the dog days, take care of yourself, and others.

By Naomi Hirahara (@gasagasagirl). Soho Crime. 312 pages. Out now.

Centering a young woman investigating the suspicious death of her older sister, this immersive true-crime historical mystery novel takes place in Chicago in 1944, at the height of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans.

Written by Sheng Keyi (@shengkeyi)and translated by Shelly Bryant. Restless Books. 384 pages. Out now.

An immersive satiric statement on government oppression and the resistance that often explodes in its wake, this volume is banned in China for its allusions to the Tiananmen Square massacre.

By Cristalle Psalm One Bowen (@psalmone). Haymarket Books. Out now.

In her engaging memoir, legendary hip hop trailblazer Cristalle Psalm One Bowen shares her remarkable story of growing up, making music, battling homophobia and misogyny, and making peace.

By Shugri Said Salh (@shugrisalh). Algonquin Books. 304 pages. Out now.

A natural storyteller, Shugri Said Salh was born in the Somali desert and has endured war, refugee camps, loss and oppressive traditions on her way to finding her home.

By Victoria Lee (@sosaidvictoria). Delacorte Press. 384 pages. Out now.

If youre a dark academia fan, this one is for you. Of course, it has an old boarding school, murders and magic, but its also got thought-provoking depth, bold twists and engaging queer main characters.

By Jadie Jang (@seelight). Solaris. 405 pages. Out now.

Jadie Jangs kaleidoscopic debut is a fresh, original take on the Chinese mythical figure the Monkey King, repackaged in a spellbinding urban fantasy.

By Carolina De Robertis (@caroderobertis). Knopf. 224 pages. Out now.

Always surprising and unique, Carolina De Robertis has written a tale of hope and resilience found within the depths of despair by a Latin American president jailed in solitary confinement except for one thing: a frog.

By Anita Kopacz (@anitakopacz). Black Privilege Publishing. 224 pages. Out now.

In this captivating debut, Anita Kopacz tells a tale of Yemaya, an Orsha of the Yoruban people, during the mid-1800s. From Africa to the Americas, Yemaya makes a harrowing journey to find a man and, ultimately, her true self.

By Kaia Alderson (@kaiawrites). William Morrow. 400 pages. Out now.

Based on the true story of the the Six Triple Eight, the only all-Black battalion of the Womens Army Corps, this engrossing debut historical fiction highlights the bravery, sisterhood and strength of these little-known heroes.

Written by Jamia Wilson (@jamiaw) and illustrated by Aurelia Durand (@4ur3lia). Frances Lincoln Childrens Books. 160 pages. Out now.

Gorgeously illustrated, this volume explains feminism, intersectionality, identity, wellness and more in engaging and accessible prose. Pick up this gem for the budding feminists of all genders in your life who are joiningand reimaginingthe fight against the patriarchy!

By Chandra Prasad (@chandrabooks). Soho Teen. 360 pages. Out now.

When you mix mercury with old daguerreotypes in Chandra Prasads latest YA novel, the boy in the photo will come alive in your dreams. At least thats what happens to Saskia and her friends until things start to unravel.

Written by Zoe Mendelson (@youngzokeziah) and illustrated by Maria Conejo (@maria_conejo). Hachette Go. 432 pages. Out now.

Accompanied by Maria Conejos beautiful illustrations, Zoe Mendelson has written an astonishingly informational volume about the pussy, which they redefine in a new wonderfully gender- and organ-inclusive way.

By Sara Nisha Adams (@saranishaadams). William Morrow. 384 pages. Out now.

This remarkably readable debut is a testament to the connective and comforting power of books.

Edited and translated by Melanie Magidow (@MelanieMagidow). Penguin Classics. 208 pages. Out now.

Tracing Princess Fatimas heroic journey from orphan to legendary warrior, this Arabic classic is available now for the first time in English.

By LaTanya McQueen (@LT_MCQ). Harper Perennial. 256 pages. Out now.

This skillfully constructed debut takes on the attempts to erase violent and oppressive histories of spaces and places when a group of old friends attends a wedding at a former plantation.

By Nafiza Azad (@nafizaa). Margaret K. McElderry Books. 352 pages. Out now.

The Wild Ones are a group of magical teenage girls who are determined to save the life of Taraana in this captivating feminist fantasy.

By DaShaun L. Harrison (@DaShaunLH). North Atlantic Books. 152 pages. Out August 10.

Dont let this slim volume deceive you, for it is a powerful and necessary examination of anti-fatness as anti-Blackness from a fat, Black, disabled and nonbinary trans writer extraordinaire.

By YZ Chin (@yz_chin). Ecco. 320 pages. Out August 10.

Centering a young Malaysian immigrant searching for her husband after his mysterious disappearance, this sharp post-Tr*mp debut explores immigration, relationships and identity.

By Tracy Swinton Bailey. Other Press. 192 pages. Out August 10.

Language and literacy educator Tracy Swinton Bailey has written this part-memoir, part-guide to supporting low-income children in reading, based on her after-school and summer program, Freedom Readers.

By Raquel Vasquez Gilliland (@poet_raquelvgil). Simon & Schuster BYR. 432 pages. Out August 10.

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By Leila Slimani. Penguin. 320 pages. Out August 10.

Set in Morocco during and after WWII, this nuanced and elegantly written story explores themes of colonialism, race, family and belonging.

By Rafia Zakaria (@rafiazakaria). W. W. Norton & Company. 256 pages. Out August 17.

American Muslim woman, attorney and political philosopher, Rafia Zakaria has written this unflinching and necessary indictment of white feminism and demand for a more radical, inclusive, transnational Black and Brown feminism.

By Shannon Price (@spricewrites). Tor Teen. 304 pages. Out August 17.

This epic YA fantasy debut is full of shapeshifters, thrilling adventures and badass warrior women.

By Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint (@thiriimkm). Graywolf. 176 pages. Out August 17.

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By Jordan Ifueko (@jifueko). Amulet Books. 336 pages. Out August 17.

Tarasai is back and bound to survive the trials and terrors of being the Empress Redemptor in this remarkably written fantasy sequel.

By Nichole Perkins (@tnwhiskeywoman). Grand Central Publishing. 272 pages. Out August 17.

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By Silvia Moreno-Garcia (@silviamg). Del Rey. 304 pages. Out August 17.

Following up on her massive bestseller Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia has written a slow burn noir mystery about a lonely secretary and a quirky stranger searching for a missing woman in the political unrest of 1970s Mexico City.

By Jennifer C. Nash. Duke University Press. 264 pages. Out August 20.

Duke University professor Jennifer C. Nash presents this essential examination of Black motherhood and its layered complexities of representation, performance, gaze, critique, precarity and politics.

By Tina M. Campt. MIT Press. 232 pages. Out August 24.

In this beautiful volume, Black feminist theorist of visual culture and contemporary art Tina M. Campt disrupts the normative passivity applied to art and artistry to build an (inter)active, intimate, radical and necessary Black gaze.

By Honore Fanonne Jeffers (@BlkLibraryGirl). Harper. 816 pages. Out August 24.

This is the utterly remarkable fiction debut of award-winning poet Honore Fanonne Jeffers, which centers a young girl who explores her own identity through her familys sweeping legacy from slavery, through the Civil War to the present.

By Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (@rdunbaro). Beacon Press. 392 pages. Out August 24.

In this hard-hitting volume, Roxane Dunbar-Ortiz challenges the nation of immigrants narrative and reveals the true intention behind this trope: to mask the truth of white supremacy, settler colonialism and genocide.

By Margo Tamez (Lipan Apache) (@indigifem). Turtle Point Press. 152 pages. Out August 31.

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By Kathryn Bond Stockton. MIT Press. 256 pages. Out August 31.

In this slim volume, the latest in MITs Essential Knowledge Series, Stockton presents an accessible, witty and contemporary examination of the true queerness of genders and gendering.

By Krystale E. Littlejohn (@drklittlej). University of California Press. 184 pages. Out August 31.

This is a well-researched and much-needed historical and contemporary exploration of the unjust (cis)gendered aspects of birth control, pregnancy and reproductive autonomy.

By Kia Corthron. Seven Stories Press. 592 pages. Out August 31.

In her absorbing and original second novel, Kia Corthron examines racism, family and identity through the eyes of Theo, a young biracial orphan growing up in mid-19th century New York City. You wont soon forget this one.

By Teresia Kieuea Teaiwa. University of Hawaii Press. 288 pages. Out August 31.

The untimely passing of Dr. Teresia Kieuea Teaiwa (Banaban/I-Kiribati/Fiji Islander/African American) in 2017 devastated those who knew and admired her. In tribute to an extraordinary life cut short, this volume presents fifteen of Teaiwas most influential works in Pacific, Native and gender studies as well as four of her poems.

By Jo Hamya. Mariner Books. 208 pages. Out August 31.

Focused on a young woman who longs for a room of her own, this debut is a sharp statement on Millennial disenfranchisement and poverty.

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August 2021 Reads for the Rest of Us - Ms. Magazine

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The Concern Over Human Rights In India The Organization for World Peace – The Organization for World Peace

Posted: at 10:26 pm

On July 27th, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken travelled to India, where he met with key leaders in the nation and discussed the close relationship between the two countries. The following day, Blinken and Indias Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, held a meeting over the international security partnership shared by both states, monetary relief for the coronavirus pandemic, global democracy, and the future of Afghanistan.

These conversations succeeded in furthering the connection between India and the United States, building upon their mutual goals of peace and stability. However, one pressing issue of freedom escaped meaningful discussion: human rights within India itself.

In recent years, India has come under scrutiny for the human rights concerns that prevail in the country. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, so-called anti-terrorist laws have marred Indian civil society, and governmental actions that incite religious discrimination have left minority groups in dangerous positions. According to the 2020 India Report on Human Rights Practices from the U.S. Department of State, issues in the region consist of extrajudicial killings, torture, political prisoners, restrictions on freedom of the press and expression, child labour, and further national offences.

Religious intolerance on a governmental level, combined with internal corruption, has shaped much of the violence that has been seen under the Modi administration. Muslims, the countrys most significant minority, have been targeted by legislative restrictions, including a religion-based citizenship law, and subject to discriminatory attacks due to Hindu nationalism. Additionally, in a report from the Human Rights Watch, problems in India have been detailed to include punishment for political opposition, the use of internet shutdowns to control social protest, and attacks on reporters and human rights organizations.

Concern over the increasing absence of human rights in India has been raised many times. Multiple international actors have called upon the Indian government to treat its citizens more acceptably. However, these external responses to the South Asian countrys humanitarian abuses lack substance. Almost every major nation and organization has failed to push past verbal criticism in addressing the issue. As a result, Indias injustice has received replies deficient of strength and efficacy.

These empty condemnations come from even the biggest proponents of democracy and human rights in the world. Despite the promise Antony Blinken gave to discuss Indias human rights record, the shallow conversation remained in line with the objective of the United States, which was to keep India as a close ally. Criticism from the European Union, the United Nations, multiple NGOs, and other international powers have been met with hostility. The situation is aggravated by the fact that Prime Minister Modis government continues to deny wrongdoing. According to Reuters, in reference to Blinkens plan to confront Indian leaders about the humanitarian concerns in the country, the foreign ministry of India said that nation was proud of its pluralistic traditions and happy to discuss the issue with the U.S. Secretary of State.

Attempts to deal with problems in India are consistently obstructed by political dealings, which result in ineffective responses that are seen from around the world. The relationship between India and the United States is an example of this. Antony Blinken stated that there are few relationships in the world that are more vital than one between the U.S. and India. We are the worlds two leading democracies and our diversity fuels our national strength.

Indias current condition, however, challenges this assertion. The blatant attacks and disregard for fundamental aspects of democratic systems and values do not demonstrate much credibility. According to Amnesty International, critics of the government, journalists, students, and human rights activists have all faced severe maltreatment, including arbitrary arrests and harassment from police. The human rights violations that have transpired, especially regarding political opponents and restrictions on universal freedoms, dispute the idea that India is indeed a reliable democratic institution. Despite these occurrences, there is an apparent lack of consequences for the South Asian country, much of which has political grounds.

Inconsequence is where the problem lies in addressing Indias human rights record. The hollow pressure placed upon Modis government has not worked and is unlikely to in the future. There is no significant determination to resolve the issuethat absence of repercussions only threatens to cause further damage to human rights in India. With no real consequences, Prime Minister Modi and his party can persist in abusing Indian citizens. While countries and organizations worldwide condemn India and its prejudicial activities, there is little effort upon outside actors to encourage lasting change in the country; they have other priorities.

With the unsuccess of spoken disapproval becoming evident, finding a practical solution is increasingly necessary. Due to the complexities of global politics, this is not a simple endeavour with a straightforward answer. As is recognized by the international community, India holds significant power in the modern world. With the rise of China and the United States attempts to counteract their gain, India presents itself as a critical ally. Furthermore, despite the flaws that their system holds, India still has the largest population of any democracy. This status makes confrontation difficult. Anything more than verbal disapproval puts vital international relationships at risk.

For there to be improvements in human rights in India, an alternative approach is required. Promoting the genuine acceptance of diversity and countering the Modi governments violent policies will need something more than vague phrases. Monitoring and reporting on human rights in India, and the subsequent large-scale presentation of those findings, can help improve the situation. Although this is important, it is not enough. Among other incentives to develop human rights, requirements built into trade deals can address the dilemma. Using a more direct manner to confront the issues within Indias government, like that of monetary and political punishments, is another strategy that could prompt change. However, these options run the risk of economically and physically damaging the citizens of India, the very people these actions intend to protect. Therefore, a different solution is needed to create a situation in which possible change will occur.

One option is to discredit Indias standing as a stable democracy. Losing that status, even informally, is dangerous and holds more political risks for the administration than it does for the Indian population. Accountability is then placed on the abusers, the current government, as opposed to people, who should not endure added suffering for the humanitarian crimes of their leaders. It does not threaten peace or stability to an exceptional degree and only creates an environment of subversive shame that carries the potential to advance Indian human rights. If enacted by a considerable number of world authorities, this might have the power to push India into stability. When aligned with international organizations that address other societal concerns, like Hindu nationalism, reducing the human rights offences in India is an attainable ideal.

Undertaking the problem of human rights in India is crucial. People continue to be hurt by aggressive policies and governmental actions, and the lack of a substantial response by international actors only amplifies the issue. The violation of human rights is not limited to being an immediate danger, eitherthese abuses can be gateways to further violence and insecurity. Whether the result is destructive government oppression or a civil uprising, infractions on human rights can imperil the nations future. Thus, protecting human rights is as much a current affair as it is a preventive one. The government must take it seriously, and that means acting beyond empty and ineffective words.

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The Concern Over Human Rights In India The Organization for World Peace - The Organization for World Peace

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No other choice but to resist to exist: Mehbooba Mufti on anniversary of Art 370 abrogation – India Today

Posted: at 10:26 pm

Mehbooba Mufti and PDP have been very vocal in their opposition to the abrogation of Article 370.

On the second anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti said, "When unbridled oppression is unleashed and gross injustice heaped there is no other choice but to resist to exist."

"No words or pictures are enough to depict the pain, torment & upheaval inflicted upon J&K on this black day two years ago. When unbridled oppression is unleashed & gross injustice heaped there is no other choice but to resist to exist," Mehbooba Mufti said in a tweet.

"Today is a day of mourning for J&K. BJP government started oppression, barbarism in 2019. It is unfortunate that BJP is celebrating while Kashmir is mourning. We will resist this. We will force the government to speak to Pakistan to address external dimensions," Mehbooba Mufti said.

"August 5 will always be a negative milestone in the history of J&K. It was a political and psychological setback for the people of J&K," Khursheed Alam of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference said.

Other mainstream political parties also have taken a public stand against the revocation of the special status but have given more importance to the restoration of statehood.

Read: 2 years without Article 370: How it changed Jammu and Kashmir, 5 points

The Gupkar in a statement also said since the last two years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered the most.

"August 5 marks the completion of two years since the unprecedented assault on the Constitution of India. By demolishing the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, the Government has crossed all the limits of constitutionality," Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, spokesperson of the Gupkar alliance said.

On August 5, 2019, Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced a proposal in Parliament for ending the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and its bifurcation into two Union Territories.

Mehbooba Mufti and PDP have been very vocal in their opposition to the abrogation of Article 370.

Read: Mood sombre in Srinagar on anniversary of Art 370 abrogation

Click here for IndiaToday.ins complete coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

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No other choice but to resist to exist: Mehbooba Mufti on anniversary of Art 370 abrogation - India Today

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Canadian churches shouldnt remain silent on religious oppression in China – The Globe and Mail

Posted: at 10:26 pm

Police officers request entry to a mosque in Changji outside Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China on May 6, 2021.

THOMAS PETER/Reuters

Christopher White is the minister at Kedron United Church in Oshawa, Ont., and a writer for Broadview Magazine.

Margaret McCuaig-Johnston is a senior fellow with the Graduate School for Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa.

Canadians are now quite familiar with the many dimensions of the horrific repression of the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang region of China including brainwashing, torture, rape, forced sterilization and even deaths in the so-called re-education camps. And yet the organized churches in Canada have been strangely silent. Their voices in the face of ongoing injustices against religious and cultural minorities in China are needed now.

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The mass transportation of Uyghurs to factories all over China as forced labour implicates any countries whose companies have products made there. Parliament unanimously recognized that these acts constitute genocide and our government, acting with the U.S., U.K. and EU, imposed sanctions against four senior officials and an infrastructure corporation involved in the repression in Xinjiang.

Buddhists have known similar repression in the country for decades. Practitioners of the spiritual movement Falun Gong are routinely imprisoned, and often face torture and death in unthinkable circumstances. Muslims from the Hui ethnic group in Chinas Gansu province and Ningxia region have seen the domes on mosques demolished, and public use of Arabic script banned.

Measures are now expanding to other religions and cultures across the country in a campaign of Sinicization of all aspects of religion, giving the state and Communist Party control. It is now prohibited to transmit religion to anyone under the age of 18, and formal schooling in minority languages the cultural glue of many religions has been curtailed on the basis that it is unconstitutional, resulting in protests, teacher strikes and arrests in Inner Mongolia.

In addition to these injustices, people running the informal Christian house churches across China Protestant and Catholic groups with a few members meeting in someones home have been detained in transformation facilities in basements with no windows, ventilation or time allowed outdoors. Those who do not admit their mistakes are kept in solitary confinement with the objective of making them renounce their faith. Christians are often held in these facilities for nine months or more, subjected to beatings and mental torture. Ministers of these house churches have been detained with no charges for up to ten years.

The so-called official Christian churches are permitted to exist for now on sufferance, but they too are going through changes imposed by the state. Authorities control appointments, publications, finances and seminary applications. Ministers walk on eggshells when it comes to what they are permitted to say, with some detained and charged with inciting subversion. Crosses have been torn off churches, the Ten Commandments replaced with quotes from Chinas leader Xi Jinping, and photos of him have been placed strategically in church sanctuaries.

With mounting evidence concerning the repression of Uyghurs, the Canadian Muslim organization Justice for All Canada wrote a letter demanding action from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It was signed by individual Christian churches, but not by the Canadian Council of Churches, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada or denominations such as the United Church, the Anglican Church, nor the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Vaticans limited role in China appears to come at the cost of silence in the face of human rights abuses.

The organized churches in Canada are normally very engaged around issues of persecution and injustice, and now with both Muslim and Christian religions affected, they have an important role to play in speaking out before their affiliated churches in China are gone. This is a discussion that each congregation across Canada should be having. Remaining silent will not protect churches in China or cause the Beijing regime to cease their Sinicization of religion. Rather, it empowers them to move forward.

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Churches should also join the Muslim community in speaking out about the Uyghur genocide. It is critical that all Canadians, including Christian organizations, speak out in support of our Muslim friends, families and neighbours. Taha Ghayyur, executive director of Justice for All Canada, maintains that churches and faith institutions have a vital role as important allies in the fight to end the Uyghur genocide.

During the 1930s and 1940s, many Christians spoke up when there were disturbing stories about what the Jews and others were enduring in Nazi Germany. Other Christians chose to remain silent. Further, churches were silent for too many decades about residential school atrocities in our own country. With the chilling stories now coming out of China, the choice of silence is the choice to support the oppressor.

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Canadian churches shouldnt remain silent on religious oppression in China - The Globe and Mail

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