There is definitely a real issue at the moment with how journalists are being treated. Also, governments in the Middle East and other autocratic governments that are clamping down on journalists are very fragile, so the rhetoric that comes out of the Canadian government is something that is extremely important and it's disseminated in the Arabic press. In my own experience, for example, in my trial, the American government issued a statement by Mr. John Kerry who said it was a draconian sentence, while the Canadian government said it was very disappointed. These nuances and these minor details and language make a huge difference, and they show how a government is dealing with the situation.
To go back to your question about journalists, indeed because journalists are on the front line and we are now facing an unprecedented attack, not only in regions in the Middle East where there are war zones and conflicts but also in the United States, it has become highlighted more than ever how important it is to implement a more transparent approach to the handling of journalists and human rights defenders.
If I had written a protection charter a couple of months ago, I would have added something about human rights defenders, because there is extreme unprecedented targeting, which has prompted many Canadian NGOs to call on Mr. Trudeau, through a letter that we at the Fahmy Foundation participated in, to lobby the United Nations to appoint a special envoy to deal from within the United Nations with issues related to the safety of journalists.
Again, with these fragile governments, when they see that the Canadian government is focusing on journalists on the ground and that the consular team is very dedicated to protecting its Canadian journalists in many countries in the region, they will think twice before throwing a Canadian journalist in prison. They will think twice before torturing a Canadian journalist, let alone a Canadian citizen.
I'm very dedicated to the issue of better protection of journalists and human rights defenders, at least providing more transparent rhetoric and being more protective of their rights to do their job.