加拿大律师支持高智晟郭飞熊维权行动
【大纪元2月16日讯】加拿大人权律师塔娜‧阿什塔卡拉（Tara Ashtakala）2月14日致信给中国驻加拿大大使卢树民，对郭飞熊和高智晟两位维权律师在中国所遭受的迫害表示忧虑和关注，要求中国当局停止对他们的攻击，保障律师能够在中国境内自由工作，为不幸人士提供法律援助。信全文如下：
2006年2月14日
中华人民共和国驻加拿大大使卢树民
尊敬的大使：
我特写此信，以表达我及加拿大和世界的同行律师，对于中国两位著名维权律师：郭飞熊和高智晟所受对待的忧虑。
律师职业在任何一个社会里都有独特的地位。法律和规范是璀璨悠久文明的标致，这是因为社会中的每一个公民，无论是达官贵人亦或贫民百姓，都会碰到困难的时候，这种困难可能是因为财产的丧失、或名誉的诋毁、或不幸的打击所造成，这时法律是每个公民用以表达自己权利的最合法、合理、和平的工具。律师被授权帮助那些被处于这种不幸境地的人。
高律师和郭律师完全遵循职业规范做了他们应该做的事情，而我们却看到报导，警察和其它权利机构运用不合法的手段对待他们，例如殴打、骚扰、甚至企图用汽车撞到他们进行谋杀，这非常令人不安。在如此困难的境地，他们能够钻研法律并依此实施法律准则，他们的行为令人尊敬。我和我的同事非常钦佩两位律师所为，他们帮助老百姓拥有宗教信仰的自由，拿回被侵占的土地，这些对加拿大人来说是天经地义的权利。我们更钦佩高律师，他的处境更加艰难，因为他发起绝食运动以抗议他的同事郭律师所遭受的暴力对待。我强烈要求您，大使阁下，敦促您的政府停止使两位律师继续处于苦难，唯有如此，中华人民共和国才能保护其悠久的文明，因为在文明社会里，法律行业的从业者能自由的实施法律准则，法律令公民感到受到保护。
Tara Ashtakala,
民权律师
法律讲师
附：信件英文原文
14 February 2006
H.E. Lu Shumin
Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China
515 St. Patrick St. Ottawa ON K1N 5H3
Excellency,
I am writing to you to express the distress I share, with my fellow lawyers in Canada and around the world, over the treatment accorded to two of China’s foremost legal practitioners, Mr. Guo Feixiong and Mr. Gao Zhisheng.
The legal profession occupies a unique position in any society. Laws and norms are the hallmarks of great and enduring civilizations: this is because every single person in society, from the top official to the ordinary citizen, at one time or another in their lives finds themselves in a position of difficulty, whether because of a loss of property or a threat to their reputation or an impact on their very life, and the law is the most legitimate, orderly and peaceful vehicle by which every citizen can have such concerns addressed. The lawyer is privileged to help people when they are in such a vulnerable state.
Mr. Guo and Mr. Gao are doing exactly what their profession requires them to do, so it is disturbing to hear reports of extra-legal acts being done to these gentlemen by police and other authorities, such as beatings, harassment and even attempted murder by running them down with a car. These men deserve respect for achieving the difficult feat of studying the field of law and exercising this career. The fact that they provide assistance to those seeking to practice their religion or retrieve their land, rights which people in Canada almost take for granted now, makes me and my colleagues admire Mr. Guo and Mr. Gao even more. Mr. Gao has subjected himself to a further hardship by apparently undertaking a hunger strike to protest the violence against his fellow legal colleague Mr. Guo. I urge you, Excellency, to ask your Government to ensure that the tribulations being experienced by Mr. Guo and Mr. Gao cease immediately, so that the People’s Republic of China can preserve its status as a great civilization, one in which members of the legal profession are free to practice their profession and one in which the rule of law can make every citizen feel less vulnerable.
Sincerely,
Tara Ashtakala, B.C.L.
Lecturer in Law(http://www.dajiyuan.com)