Thank you for the question.
Indeed, there has been an escalation in human rights violations in Burundi, according to the data we have for the period from January to October 2018.
I also mentioned the hate speech coming from the country's top officials, not the least of whom is the president of the republic, Pierre Nkurunziza. The Speaker of the Senate has also made remarks, and videos circulate of the Imbonerakure singing songs proclaiming they will commit crimes against opponents should an election be held in 2020. It is clear that the Imbonerakure militia, the country's top-ranking authorities and the national intelligence service are getting organized. Yes, human rights violations are up.
Something else I mentioned was the recent report released by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi. The report indicated that crimes against humanity are being committed in Burundi.
The hate speech coming from the country's top officials, the songs sung by members of the the Imbonerakure militia, all of those things are evidence that something is in the works. We are calling on the international community, including the Canadian government, to act swiftly to protect Burundi's people.