Swatting at Human Rights Violations

"People in countries overseas where religious freedom is being violated are being imprisoned, tortured, killed because of their faith."
"In Canada, we have the courts. We have the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. ... We can advance religious freedom overseas because we enjoy it in Canada. So that's the approach that I take.
"Canada is very consistent in having a one-China policy.
"In my interactions that I've had with Tibetan Buddhists, or Uighur Muslims in Canada ... I always focus on the religious freedom aspect.
"Were not getting into discussions about various autonomy claims that those groups might be making ... I'm the religious freedom guy."
"You're seeing the situation in certain countries where the Christian population is being wiped out."
Andrew Bennett, Canadian ambassador for religious freedom

Mr. Bennett was in Washington when he made those statements in an interview, where he took part also in a panel discussion with a colleague from the U.S. Commission on International and Religious Freedom. A panel discussion that had been organized by the Berkeley Center's Religious Freedom Project. Too bad he missed the sixth annual Summit for Human Rights and Democracy hosted by UN Watch, taking place in Geneva. But no one can be everywhere at once.

And in Washington, Mr. Bennett had the opportunity to meet with the Dalai Lama, also visiting there, and being received formally by U.S. President Barack Obama, much to the fury of Beijing. With the Dalai Lama Mr. Bennett discussed the constraints met by Tibetan Buddhists to practise their faith. Beijing, famously, accuses the Dalai Lama of the cardinal sin in China of "splitism", wishing to take Tibet out of China.

China insists Tibet is part of China, and with the military might to assert and back up that claim Tibet is in no position to insist otherwise, though they have attempted repeatedly, to do just that. Beijing responds by connecting Tibet to China by a costly rail link, second to none in the world of transport technology, and by flooding Tibet with Han Chinese, so that possession is nine-tenths of any law; the international community has no wish to confront China, and neither has the Dalai Lama. Lives depend on it.

Daramsala/AsiaNews

While in Turkey, when he raised concerns about the security and freedoms to practise their religion of Turkish Christian, Jewish and Alevi minorities last fall, his queries were not taken too kindly in a country known for its repression and human rights abuses, not only of religious minorities, but the autonomy-declaring Kurd demographic, and the long-suffering journalists who face arrest and jail time. They've latterly been joined by Turkish military elite, police and jurists.

Opposition protests have intensified in Istanbul and other cities as the government struggles with a corruption scandal [AFP]

The Turkish response might have been predictable, much as Iran berates Canada for its purportedly poor treatment of 'immigrants' and First Nations peoples. Well, said the Turkish interlocutors, what about Quebec? Mr. Bennett was somewhat stymied on that one, not authorized to speak of domestic issues where the offending, impending Quebec legislation would bar people wearing hijabs, turbans, yarmulkes and ostentatious religious symbols from working in the public sector.

He did point out, however, that there is little comparison between a repressive human-rights-abusing regime that persecutes its minorities and a country where the law of the land is paramount in protecting the equal rights and freedoms of all its citizens, irrespective of religious diversity; that very religious diversity itself is uncompromisingly protected under Canadian law.

During the forum organized by the Berkley Center, Mr. Bennett pointed out his pride in being named, a neutral, non-partisan civil servant, with his mandate and his office as Canadian ambassador for religious freedom, placed within the larger mandate of that of the Department of Foreign Affairs, making his job one of great importance to Canada. Clarifying when questioned that the Conservative-led government has stated repeatedly its willingness to disagree with major allies rather than compromise its moral ideals.

His experience in Turkey, he pointed out, represented the only instance when a foreign official had raised the issue of charter freedoms and human rights with him since taking up his post.