Baghdad The Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marco Mendicino, announced his country's readiness to establish a special program to grant asylum to "human rights defenders", including journalists, who may need to apply for asylum.

The program, which the United Nations refugee agency says is the first of its kind in the world, will provide food for 250 people and their families annually.

The program focuses on those most at risk, such as women and journalists.

"It is imperative that we should not ignore those witness human tragedies, who are active by demonstrating and publishing until the news reaches us," Mendicino said at a virtual press conference from Toronto.

"But they do so at the risk of persecution, arrest, torture, and even death," he added./ End

Source: National Iraqi News Agency