Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for being with us, Mr. Reeder.
My question has to do with our subcommittee's recommendation 15, in which we called on the Government of Canada to itself call for the immediate release of Judge María Lourdes Afiuni and a guarantee of her security and the security of her supporters. The government's response was that it would continue to demonstrate support for her cause.
Since we made that recommendation, members of the Venezuelan judiciary have publicly admitted to government interference in judicial decision-making. There are a number of examples. I'll give you one. Former Justice Eladio Aponte has confessed to manipulating the criminal justice system in order to persecute opponents of Hugo Chavez.
My question is whether you can provide us with an update, in particular, on the situation of Judge Afiuni. Is she under house arrest? What is the state of her health and well-being? Has she been subject to further threats, intimidation, or harassment? Similarly, have her lawyers and human rights defenders been so subjected? Has the Government of Canada communicated concern regarding her situation to the Government of Venezuela? If so, how was this done?