On behalf of myself and my 2 sisters, this is a petition for our Government to release from prison, Mark Phillips, a Canadian born citizen, who is incarcerated in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Mark went to the Dominican over 14 months ago to help a so-called friend of his set up computers for companies, loading software, etc. The day he was to come home, this \"friend\", along with two others, thrust plane tickets in his face and informed him that he would be delivering drugs to several different places in Europe. Mark was horrified. When he refused, they took out guns and told him they would kill him along with his family if he did not cooperate, and they knew where his family lived. Mark felt he had no other choice. He could not put his family at risk. They taped drugs to his chest and he was caught at the Puerto Plata airport. Mark has been in this horrible prison for over a year now. His rights have been violated, he has been physically beaten, shot at, spat at, and is daily persecuted. The guards and directors there continually harass and abuse him. They lie about him on a continual basis. Mark seems to be their target, and they hate him. There are 3 Modules in this prison. Mark is in Module 2, which is where he has mostly been attacked by inmates. Mark had requested weeks ago to be moved to Module 3, which is the lesser of 3 evils. The prison director promised she would move him. Not only has Mark not been moved, we have found out that the prison officials have now decided to move Mark to Module 1, where the most dangerous and hardened criminals/murderers are. If this happens, unless God truly intervenes, this will ultimately lead to Mark\'s demise; he will be killed, no question or doubt. Mark is not a troublemaker. Unfortunately, the directors and doctors in the prison have written up false reports about Mark to be used against him. They have clearly been paid off or threatened to create these dangerous lies against Mark. Initially, there was a possibility for Mark to be released at one-half of his prison sentence. Now, there is no possibility. It is more than clear they want him dead. And all because he is a Christian, peacekeeper, Bible-study leader, kind, caring, compassionate person who WILL NOT fight. Mark has also been a listening ear, as many of these men are suicidal, and he has helped out some individuals there with their bail, and that, in turn, works against him; they despise the fact that Mark has some money (it is not that he is wealthy, it is just that he is Canadian). The \"authorities\" and some other prisoners have it in for him as well, because he will not fight or strike back. We just don\'t know how much more he can bear. This is beyond belief and comprehension! The system in the Dominican is unimaginably evil and corrupt; the officials either appear to be money-hungry or live in fear for their jobs, and will stop at nothing. There is no system of ethics, no integrity, no honesty; they play by their own rules, which they make up and change as quickly as they create them. We have been informed that now, with these terrible reports about Mark, it will likely cost upwards of $100,000 for his release at half-time, even though the court judge stated that he did not hold Mark accountable for his actions, due to the situation. According to the prison system, Mark\'s prison \"report card\" would have to be 100 per cent before they would contemplate moving him to Module 3, let alone considering an earlier release. Mark\'s \"credit score\", as these corrupt officials have calculated, is around 1 per cent. Again, they have pegged him, plotted against him, and are out to destroy him. Why Because he is white, has some money, will not fight, and is a Christian. My sisters and I have spent much money going to and from the Dominican in an effort to see Mark, take him some decent meals, meet with individuals at the Canadian Embassy, and basically do what we can to get his release from this prison. Mark gets sick quite often in this prison due to contamination and complete lack of nutrition, and the guards will not allow him to have medical attention. Mark has been sick to the point of death, delirium and coughing up blood, and yet they refused him medical aid. It is only by the grace of God, and I do not say this lightly, that Mark has lived through this year. This ridiculous nonsense has to stop! Another serious matter which greatly affects Mark is the fact that drugs are literally flying through the air, particularly at night-time. Mark wakes up choking from the cocaine powder which the other prisoners are using, while the guards are supposedly \"keeping their watch\". Ironically, most of these inmates are in prison BECAUSE of drug-related offences!! They are \"allowed\" to buy and use drugs at will, and without consequences. And with Mark around, again, this creates a dangerous environment for his safety. The corruption, knowing the guards are being paid off to turn a blind eye, is disgusting!!! We have written to Stockwell Day and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to obtain Mark\'s immediate release. Mark\'s life is in constant threat of danger. The urgency to release Mark escalates each day. We have contacted our local MP Wajid Khan as well. PLEASE send this petition to everyone possible for signature, which we will then send to Stephen Harper, to hopefully act on our behalf and bring our Mark home NOW, before it\'s too late. Please help us come to his rescue.

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