Welcome, colleagues, to the 102nd meeting of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights.
Today is the first of three meetings on the human rights situation in Turkey. We begin these sessions in the wake of the complex situation following the 2016 coup attempt and the recent report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the impact of the state of emergency on human rights in Turkey.
The OHCHR report found a constantly deteriorating human rights situation, exacerbated by the erosion of the rule of law in Turkey, enabled by the continuing state of emergency. The OHCHR detailed executive interference in the judiciary and reduction of parliamentary oversight; arbitrary mass dismissals of civil servants and private sector employees; arbitrary closure of civil society organizations, including human rights NGOs and media; arbitrary detention of people arrested under the state of emergency; the use of torture during pretrial detention; restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and movement; arbitrary expropriation of private property; and methods of collective punishment targeting family members of those suspected of offences.
We have two witnesses before us today. By video conference from Cleveland, we have Kilic Bugra Kanat, Research Director of the SETA Foundation. Before us in person we have a frequent guest—namely, Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.
Dr. Kanat, you may begin your opening remarks, and then we'll move to Mr. Neve before proceeding to questions from members of the subcommittee.
Thank you very much. Please begin.