Dr. Lisa Shepherd's abstract entitled “Improving the Emergency Medicine Clerkship with Structured Teaching Shifts” has been accepted for ORAL PRESENTATION at the 2014 Canadian Conference on Medical Education - “Transforming Healthcare through Excellence in Assessment and Evaluation”. 

Please join me in congratulating Lisa, Allie and Michelle on their recent research success 

At 22:30 on October 5th, we received word that Tarek & John have been released from the Tora prison in Egypt, where they had been held without charges for 49 days.

In a statement released late Saturday night, Minister of State Lynne Yelich said the Canadian government welcomed a decision to release Tarek Loubani and John Greyson.

"I look forward to Dr. Loubani and Mr. Greyson being reunited with their families and friends, who have shown tremendous strength during this difficult time," Yelich said.

Speeches from the Free Tarek & John Rally in London, Ontario, September 24, 2013.

Dr. Amit Shah

Dr. Wendy Pearson

Dr. Bhooma Bhayana

Dr. Ben Thomson

from podur.org & tarekandjohn.com

DAY 31: Tarek & John Are On Hunger Strike

Canadian filmmaker, John Greyson, and emergency room physician, Tarek Loubani, have informed friends and supporters through their Egyptian lawyers that they will be refusing food beginning September the 16th to protest the arbitrary nature of their detention by Egyptian authorities.

Greyson and Loubani, who were transiting through Cairo on their way to Gaza where Loubani was carrying on a medical aid project, and Greyson was preparing for a film project, have been detained in Cairo’s Tora prison for the past 31 days. During that time, Egyptian officials have not provided any reason for the ongoing detention.  Greyson and Loubani’s detention could be extended up to 2 years without formal charges being laid according to new emergency measures put in place in Egypt.

"We can only imagine the anguish that John and Tarek feel after realizing that their detention could be extended for so long in what can only be described as an arbitrary process that lacks any credibility," said Cecilia Greyson. "We know that they did not take the decision to begin a hunger strike lightly, and we want them to know we will do everything we can to support them and get them home soon" she added.

"We have been overwhelmed by all of the support we have received in our campaign to bring Tarek and John back home" said Mohammed Loubani. "We are also grateful to the many Department of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (DFATD) employees, and consular officials who have worked so tirelessly to make sure Tarek and John stay safe and are returned to us as soon as possible" he added.

"We also want to thank Prime Minister Harper, Minister Baird, and Minister Yelich for advocating for John and Tarek’s release at the highest levels of the Egyptian Government" said Mohammd Loubani. "We are especially looking forward to the results of discussions with the Egyptian Prime Minister, Mr. Hazem El-Beblawi; Deputy Prime Minister, Gen. Abdul-Fatah Al-Sisi; and Minister of Interior, Mr. Mohamed Ibrahim about John and Tarek’s ongoing detention" he added.

A change.org petition calling for the release of the two Canadians has received 115,000 signatures to date. In addition, 311 prominent cultural and academic figures have signed a letter calling for John and Tarek’s release. Among the signatories are Alec Baldwin, Alex Gibney, Arundhati Roy, Atom Egoyan, Ben Affleck, Charlize Theron, Danny Glover, Sarah Polley, Naomi Klein and Michael Ondaatje.

Amnesty International has issued an urgent action (http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/uaa24813.pdf) about Tarek and John, asking for letters and phone calls directly to Interim President Adly Mahmoud Mansour, Minister of Defence General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Public Prosecutor Hesham Mohamed Zaki Barakat.

Supporters of Tarek and John will be gathering at the Egyptian Consulate in Montreal at 1pm on Tuesday September 24. “The Egyptian authorities seem to be sending the message that Egypt is not a safe place to travel to, that if you go there, you can be jailed for a long time and with no recourse,” said Justin Podur. “We want to send the message that we will not forget our friends, and we will not settle for anything less than their immediate release.”

from podur.org & tarekandjohn.com

DAY 30: Detention extended again

After a brief meeting in Tora prison, where Canadians John Greyson and Tarek Loubani have been held for the past 30 days, the Cairo district prosecutor, Mohamed Heta, announced today that he would extend their detention period for a further 15 days.

Egyptian authorities have not provided any reason for the extension or for the ongoing detention of Greyson and Loubani. Greyson and Loubani were first arrested in the early evening of Friday, August 16th, when they approached Egyptian police officials to ask for directions in the Azbakiya district of Cairo.

“We are obviously extremely saddened to hear about the extension,” said Cecilia Greyson, “but just as importantly we are now certain that John and Tarek’s detention is completely arbitrary, and the process they face lacks any semblance of fairness or credibility.”

“While we have approached the Egyptian authorities in good faith and provided them with sworn affidavits, travel itineraries, and other particulars clarifying the nature of John and Tarek’s trip to Gaza, the Egyptian Prosecutor has alternatively missed and delayed important hearings into John and Tarek’s case and then extended their detention repeatedly without cause,” added Cecilia.

“Tarek and John have answered every question that has been put to them and now it is time for the Egyptian authorities to do the same,” said Mohammed Loubani, Tarek’s brother. “Why is Egypt detaining a prominent Canadian filmmaker, and a physician on his way to provide medical aid in Gaza? Why has the Prosecutor consistently missed, and delayed the hearings that he himself had set to review their case? Why are they not allowed even two hours outside per day? Why were Tarek and John held for 30 days in a crowded cell with 38 other inmates, a single sink, and one toilet?” he added.

"We want the Egyptian authorities to respect the evidence, to respect the appeals that have come from Canada, from the Canadian government and from over 100,000 people, all of which show unequivocally that Tarek and John should be freed now," said Justin Podur, a friend of both Tarek and John's.

from podur.org & tarekandjohn.com

DAY 24: No decision, No Release

Tarek and John had another visit from consulars and from our lawyers Sept 5th.  We have heard more about how they are doing, which continues to be summarized as “good health and high spirits”, although they have now been in for about three weeks, entirely at the prosecutor’s discretion, and our own frustration and that of friends and supporters continues to grow.

Thanks to the many artists in the film community who love and respect John’s work, a #FreeTarekandJohn button is a new hot item at the Toronto International Film Festival.

We will be having a press conference (by invitation only, to members of approved media outlets) – which we will cover on the website.

Tarek and John are scheduled to appear before the prosecutor again on September 11, which will be day 26 of their detention. At that point, the prosecutor will again be able to decide to continue their detention and meet with them 15 days later (September 26), or release them that day, or afterward, or indeed, before.

We continue to call for their immediate release, and ask supporters to continue calling the Egyptian Embassy in Ottawa, the Egyptian Consulate in Montreal, and for our friends in other countries (the US, UK, and elsewhere) to call the Egyptian embassies and consulates in their own countries to press for the immediate release of John and Tarek.