I'll call this meeting to order. Thank you, everybody, for being here.
We have two witnesses today, who are both coming in by video conference.
Today we will be talking about our study on the global state of the free press with particular focus on Myanmar and Venezuela.
We have with us Emmanuel Colombié.
Since July 2015, Mr. Colombié has been the director of the Reporters Without Borders Latin America Desk. He is based in Rio de Janeiro. Reporters Without Borders is known for its signature project, the annual World Press Freedom Index.
I think it's notable that Venezuela has placed 143rd, and Myanmar, 137th. That's something that is probably relevant for today.
We also have Linda Lakhdhir, who is a legal adviser with Human Rights Watch, with the Asia division. She has written a report entitled, “Dashed Hopes: the Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Myanmar”.
Our witnesses are very well equipped to answer questions specifically on Venezuela and Myanmar, which is the focus of our study.
We'll start with 10 minutes for each witness, and then we will go to questions from the members here.
We will begin with you, Mr. Colombié. You have ten minutes.