Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to put a question regarding the human rights situation in Eritrea, which has been the subject both of witness testimony before this committee, and in particular, of the UN Human Rights Council universal periodic review and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea. In fact, the special rapporteur, in her report on May 2013, referred to human rights concerns, such as extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and incommunicado detention, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, etc.—I could go on—and the lack of fundamental freedoms.
Canada, just two months ago, submitted recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council universal periodic review on Eritrea's human rights situation, in which it urged Eritrea to take the necessary steps to ensure respect for human rights, including rights of women, political rights, the rights of persons in detention, freedom of expression, etc., and the rights of religious minorities and religious communities deserving protection from persecution.
What is your assessment of all of these reports, internationally and that of the Government of Canada, regarding the situation of human rights in Eritrea?