My question is for Mr. Giokas or Ms. Rice Madan.
Your opening remarks included the following:In his most recent report in March 2012, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Tomas Quintana, welcomed positive changes in Burma but flagged several other areas still in need of major improvement, including treatment of prisoners, consistency of certain laws and provisions of the constitution with international human rights standards, and reform of the judiciary.
In 2011, as part of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Canada made very specific recommendations to the Myanmar government on the controlling forces, the human rights training needed, banning the use of anti-personnel mines, cooperating with respect to the free circulation of human rights information around the country, the standards aimed at limiting restrictions on fundamental freedoms of expression, of assembly, of association, of the press and of religion, as well as reforming the judiciary. We also recommended immediate investigation into extrajudicial killings, the recruitment of child soldiers, torture, sexual maltreatment, forced labour and slavery, and the immediate liberation of prisoners held solely because of peaceful political activities or because of their ethnic or religious affiliation.
Are those recommendations still relevant in 2012?