A press conference will held by civil society leaders and local politicians regarding Dick Cheney’s upcoming visit to Vancouver, Canada. The event begins at 12:30 p.m. PST (3:30 p.m. EST) Friday, September 23 in Vancouver. An online livestream of the press conference will be available at the website http://creativetechnology.org

Statements will be made by Vancouver Member of Parliament Don Davies, who is the Immigration Critic for the Official Opposition, Gail Davidson of Lawyers Against War, and Derrick O’Keefe of the StopWar Coalition and the Canadian Peace Alliance, as well as other spokespeople for civil society groups.

Former U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney has chosen Vancouver as the first stop outside of the United States for his ongoing book tour. Local anti-war and human rights activists have organized to demand that the Canadian government, in accordance with both Canadian and international law, arrest Cheney for war crimes including authorizing torture.

“Canada has very clear laws against war crimes, and is a signatory to myriad international treaties and conventions pertaining to the laws of war, and this is why we are demanding that the Canadian government take action to arrest Dick Cheney when he enters Canada next Monday, September 26 in Vancouver,” said Gail Davidson of Lawyers Against War.

“Cheney is responsible for helping launch an illegal war on Iraq and for authorizing torture – Canada’s laws against war crimes must be enforced in this case,” said Davidson, who in 2004 charged George W. Bush in a Vancouver Provincial Court with seven counts of counselling, aiding, and abetting torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and at Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay naval base.

“The City of Vancouver is made up of people who want peace and have been part of the largest peace marches in Canada’s history,” noted Vancouver city councillor Ellen Woodsworth. “Vancouver is a member of Mayors for Peace and the International Peace Messenger Cities. So, frankly, I am appalled that the Vancouver Club would host a known warmonger,” said Woodsworth.

Cheney’s book event is to be hosted by ‘Le Bon Mot’ book club, which has an event scheduled for the evening of Sept. 26 at the Vancouver Club. If Cheney is permitted to freely enter Canada, the StopWar Coalition has called for a protest outside the event (915 W. Hastings, at Hornby), beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the 26th.