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Newsletter - January 2018

January 11, 2018

Source: MIGS

MIGS is pleased to announce that it was chosen by the United Nations to become a member of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) Executive Directorate’s Global Counter-Terrorism Research Network (GRN), consisting of over 100 leading think tanks and research institutions from all over the globe.

Parliamentarians for Global Action, the Stanley Foundation and MIGS made public the Milan Plan of Action on Preventing Violent Extremism and Mass Atrocities, which was endorsed by over 120 members of parliament in Milan, Italy from 27-28 November. Video footage of the forum is available here.

MIGS’ Digital Fellow Alexander Corbeil will serve as a Lecturer at Carleton University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, teaching Terrorism and International Security.

Events

January 15, 2017

MIGS’ Non-Resident Fellow Michael Petrou will be the guest speaker at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, where he will give a lecture on ISIS propaganda and its role in the Yazidi genocide. The lecture will be followed by a conversation between Mr. Petrou and President and CEO of the Canadian Human Rights Museum, John Young. Full details and registration are available here.

January 22, 2018

MIGS will be hosting a seminar featuring H.E. Per Sjögren, Sweden’s Ambassador to Canada titled “Freedom of Expression: A Discussion with the Swedish Ambassador to Canada”. Full details and registration are available here.

February 6, 2018

MIGS is organizing a panel discussion, titled “The State of Human Rights in Ethiopia” to explore and understand the human rights situation in Ethiopia. The event will take place in the John Molson Building from 9:30am-12pm. Those interested in attending should contact MIGS atmigs@concordia.ca

February 8, 2018

In partnership with the Montreal Holocaust Museum, the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, MIGS will collaborate on the event “Warnings from the Rohingya”. The event will feature discussion with Payam Akhavan, Professor at McGill University’s Faculty of Law and the Honourable Bob Rae, Canada's Special Envoy to Myanmar. Full details and registration are available here.

March 19-23, 2018

MIGS, in collaboration with the Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, Dalhousie University and Public Safety Canada, will host a week-long conference at Concordia University titled, “Building Connections”. The events will provide a forum for community organizations, law enforcement, governments and researchers to showcase best practices on preventing violent extremism and radicalization leading to violence within a Canadian context. The conference will showcase the latest developments in research, cutting edge training, tools and interventions, as well as multi-agency approaches, and provide a springboard for future collaborative work.

Advocacy

December 8, 2017

MIGS and 80 other organizations signed an open letter addressed to the UN Security Council, urging its members to impose an arms embargo on Myanmar and targeted sanctions against those responsible for crimes against humanity.

December 8, 2017

MIGS Executive Director Kyle Matthews, Alex Neve of Amnesty International Canada, Samantha McGavin of Inter Pares, NDP MP Cheryl Hardcastle, Liberal MP Rob Oliphant and Conservative MP Garnett Genuis, participated in a press conference concerning the Rohingya crisis and the repatriation deal between Myanmar and Bangladesh. A full video of the press conference can be found here.

In the media

MIGS Digital Fellow Anne Speckhard was interviewed by FMT News on “Videos of IS defectors used to expose truth about terrorism”

December 13, 2017

MIGS’s Fellow Diego Osorio was quoted in an article for La Presse titled “Le Honduras dans les pas du Venezuela”.

VoxPol published an article by MIGS Fellow André Gagné and Marc-André Argentino’s “How the Islamic State Uses ‘Virtual Lessons’ to Build Loyalty”. The article had been previously featured inThe Conversation France.

December 14, 2017

MIGS Senior Fellow Lt. Gen. Roméo A. Dallaire appeared on Sky News to discuss the Rohingya crisis

December 16, 2017

MIGS’ Coordinator Marie Lamensch was featured in La Presse following a Q&A with new Mayor Valérie Plante.

December 18, 2017

MIGS Digital Fellow Nicholas A. Glavin was interviewed by Voice of America for an article titled“Trump National Security Strategy Aims to ‘Regain Momentum’”.

December 20, 2017

MIGS’ Coordinator Marie Lamensch was quoted in an article for La Croix titled “Au Canada, l’inquiétante montée des incidents à caractère haineux”.

December 21, 2017

MIGS Executive Director Kyle Matthews was interviewed by CTV News on the biggest international affairs stories of 2017.

December 22, 2017

Phil Gurski was interview on CTV News Channel in the “Accused Russian Spy Visited Trudeau’s Office” segment.

December 31st, 2017

Kyle Matthews was interviewed by CJAD Radio on his review of human rights issues in 2017.

MIGS Fellow Diego Osorio was interviewed for LaPresse+ “Ils voteront en 2018”.

January 4, 2018

Phil Gurski was interviewed on the podcast Policy Talks concerning the topic of returning foreign fighters.

January 5, 2018

MIGS Digital Fellow Phil Gurski wrote an article for the Ottawa Citizen titled “Lessons on terrorism from New York City”

January 10, 2018

MIGS Executive Director Kyle Matthews was a featured guest on TVO’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin on a segment titled “Dealing with ISIS Returnees”.