E/CN.4/2001/21 page 24 2. Urgent action dated 13 September 2000 57. The following is the full text of the request for urgent action: “I am deeply concerned about continued racial harassment that Dr. and Mrs. Ofume are being subject to as a result of disclosing racial discrimination and campaigning for human rights and liberties of the Blacks, First Nations, Metis and Inuit in Nova Scotia. “According to the source, the Federal Government of Canada and the Government of Nova Scotia instructed Dr. and Mrs. Ofume to stop defending or campaigning for the civil liberties of the Blacks, First Nations, Metis and Inuit in Canada, to disband their NGOs and to publish the names and addresses of all the members of the following NGOs: − African Canadian Human Rights Association Inc. − Anti-Refugee Slavery International Inc. − International Campaign for Nigerian People’s Liberation and Democracy Inc. − Netlink International Communication System Inc. − Oil and Chemical Watch International Association − African Canadian Immigrant Settlement Association Inc. “Allegedly when Dr. and Mrs. Ofume refused to heed these instructions, the Federal Government and the Government of Nova Scotia started using all sorts of measures to destroy these NGOs and the Ofume family in the following ways: − issuance of a series of death threats against them to the extent of attempting to burn down their home and those of some of the members of the above-listed NGOs; − network spying and destruction of their communications systems - e-mails, Internet, telephone, fax, etc.; − restriction of their rights and access to education, employment, funding from donors outside Canada to support the operation of these NGOs and other services; − high-handed sabotage which led to the failure by their NGOs to get any funding from donors inside and outside Canada; − Denial of legal aid (all the legal aid agencies and lawyers have been warned by the Canadian Government not to provide legal aid for and represent Dr. Ofume).