2023年11月20日,《加拿大媒体:斯帕弗指康明凯的情报工作致其在华被捕》https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-67472534?
Alleged Montreal-area 'Chinese police stations' planning to sue RCMP for $2.5 million
遭污蔑设立"中国警察站" 加拿大两华人社区告皇家骑警索赔巨款
周五,蒙特利尔地区的两家华人社区中心称,要对加拿大皇家骑警(RCMP)提起250万元的诉讼,因为此前皇家骑警指控他们设立了“所谓的中国派出所”。
加拿大皇家骑警在3月证实,他们已经开始对蒙特利尔唐人街的大蒙特里萨姆中国家庭服务中心(Service à la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montréal),和蒙特利尔南岸Brossard的南河湾中国-昆特里萨姆中心(Centre Sino-Québec de la Rive-Sud)展开调查。
这些中心的代表在周五上午的新闻发布会上谴责皇家骑警的“模糊指控”,他们说这些指控对他们的机构不公平,导致人们失业,并导致资金削减。
他们还表示,为大蒙特利尔华人家庭服务公司(Service à la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montréal)持有抵押贷款的银行,宣布打算在2024年3月不再续签抵押贷款。
“这场‘政治迫害’调查正在对蒙特利尔的加拿大华人社区产生现实影响,”拯救魁北克华人机构联盟(Save Chinese Quebec Institutions)在新闻发布会前发表的一份声明中写道。
两名加拿大参议员——独立参议员胡元豹(Yuen Pau Woo)和保守党参议员Victor Oh也出席了周五的新闻发布会。
胡元豹去年5月站出来为社区中心辩护,他呼吁加拿大皇家骑警出示证据,否则就不要干涉华人社区组织。
声誉“被彻底摧毁”
目前还没有向法院提起诉讼,但这些组织的律师Maryse Lapointe已向加拿大皇家骑警发出正式通知,表示他们打算采取法律行动。目前这一金额是他们可能寻求的损害赔偿的估计,但律师表示可能会更高。
律师在信中表示,两所社区中心的声誉在一夜之间被国家警察“不当玷污”。另外Brossard市议员、两所社区中心的执行主任Xixi Li则成为“皇家骑警过失的间接受害者”。
信中写道,“我们不要忘记,这两个社区组织是魁北克省唯一为华人社区提供相关服务的中心。在他们的声誉恢复之前,魁北克的华人社区有多少人将承受痛苦,因为他们无法得到专门针对需求的相关服务。”
CTV新闻已要求加拿大皇家骑警对此事作出回应,但尚未收到回应。
相关阅读:
Alleged Montreal-area 'Chinese police stations' planning to sue RCMP for $2.5 million
Two Chinese community centres in the Montreal area are planning to launch a $2.5 million defamation lawsuit against the RCMP and the Attorney General of Canada after being accused by the police force of hosting "alleged Chinese police stations."
The RCMP confirmed in March(opens in a new tab) it had opened an investigation into the Service à la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montréal, in Montreal's Chinatown, and the Centre Sino-Québec de la Rive-Sud, in Brossard, on the South Shore of Montreal.
According to human rights group Safeguard Defenders, so-called Chinese police stations are used to monitor and threaten Chinese citizens living abroad, sometimes forcing them to return to China for persecution.
Representatives from the two centres spoke at a press conference Friday morning to condemn the RCMP's "vague allegations," which they say have unfairly targeted their institutions, caused people to lose their jobs and led to funding cuts.
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They also say the bank holding the mortgage for the Service à la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montréal (Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal) announced its intention to not renew its mortgage in March 2024.
"This 'witch hunt' of an investigation is having real-life consequences on the Chinese-Canadian community in Montreal," reads a statement released by the Coalition to Save Chinese Quebec Institutions ahead of the news conference.
Two Canadian senators — Independent Sen. Yuen Pau Woo and Conservative Sen. Victor Oh — also attended the press conference on Friday.
Sen. Woo came out in defence of the community centres last May when he called on the RCMP to present their evidence or leave the Chinese community organizations alone.
REPUTATION 'TARNISHED OVERNIGHT'
No lawsuit has yet been filed with the court, but the groups' lawyer, Maryse Lapointe, has sent the RCMP a formal notice that they intend to take legal action. The dollar amount is an estimate of the damages they could seek, but the lawyer said it could be higher.
The lawyer's letter said the centres' reputations has been "unduly tarnished overnight" by the national police force and Xixi Li, a Brossard city councillor and executive director of both community centres, "is an indirect victim of the RCMP’s fault."
"Let's not forget that the two community organizations in question are the only centers offering this kind of service to the Chinese community in the province of Quebec. Until the reputation of our clients is restored, the Chinese community in Quebec will continue to suffer from a flagrant lack of services specifically aimed at its needs," the letter states.
In an emotional address to reporters Friday, Li said she had suffered serious distress due to the allegations.
"I had to take pills to sleep. I lost weight," she said. "At that point, I could not face the public."
Li says she’s still not sure what exactly she’s being accused of, nor does she know the status of the investigation.
RCMP RESPONDS
CTV News reached out to the RCMP to respond to this story. The federal police force refused to comment on any eventual lawsuit.
"On questions about Chinese Police Stations more broadly," Sgt. Kim Chamberland wrote in an email, "The RCMP will not comment on specific locations as investigations are ongoing. However, the RCMP can confirm that our national response has disrupted illegal activity."
"It is important to note that some of the activity the RCMP is investigating is occurring at locations where other legitimate services to the Chinese Canadian Community are being offered," Chamberland added.