The complaint alleged denial of parolee's freedom due to ongoing vaccine mandate
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms has filed a court action to release a parolee imprisoned for refusing COVID-19 vaccines.
According to the Justice Centre, N.M. is a 33-year-old inmate currently serving a two-year sentence. Since he is eligible for parole, he was scheduled to be released into the custody of Saint Leonard’s Society of Hamilton to reside at one of its halfway houses. However, the facility declined to accommodate him since he is still unvaccinated against COVID-19.
The Justice Centre said that the inmate has refused to get inoculated because he believed that the vaccines lack long-term safety data and demonstrate a risk of serious side effects of myocarditis to young men.
On Feb. 10, the inmate was granted day parole. The Justice Centre said he has remained in jail as the facility still refuses to accept him due to his vaccination status.
As a result, the Justice Centre, together with criminal and constitutional lawyer Fergus O’Connor, filed a complaint against the Attorney General of Canada and the facility in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. They alleged that the inmate had been denied freedom due to the ongoing vaccine mandate and asked the court for his release.
“Inmates are some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society, and already have minimal control over their bodies and their surroundings,” Justice Centre staff lawyer Sayeh Hassan said. “To coerce these individuals to be injected with a vaccine that has no long-term safety data and that has proven serious side effects including myocarditis, as a condition of enjoying their freedom, goes against principles of natural justice.”
