The role of Canada, while applaudable last summer, was unfortunate in that Canada did not receive adequate support from the rest of the international community, such as the U.K. and the U.S.
But I would still emphasize the importance of the international role, particularly given the fact that there aren't journalists and human rights defenders who are able to speak out in Saudi Arabia itself. It really falls upon the international community to speak on behalf of them.
As I mentioned briefly in the presentation, there are some positive signs of more coordinated efforts at the EU level and the UN level, such as the joint statement led by Iceland, which I believe Canada and other countries like the U.K. signed I would say these sorts of efforts are welcome and do have some impacts.
The latest wave of arrests in Saudi Arabia is somewhat shocking, because its comes at a time when there is increased scrutiny of Saudi Arabia in light of Khashoggi and the women. However, I think we still do see that the Saudi authorities, unlike maybe those in some countries, do care about their image to some extent.
We've seen some concessions, such as the release of the women a few weeks ago, although on a temporary basis; the moving of the cases from the Specialized Criminal Court, which is really the worst type of court, to a more regular criminal court; and other concessions, such as the end of the torture because of increased international pressure, such as from the U.K. Some U.K. parliamentarians called to visit the prisons inside Saudi Arabia to see the torture for themselves, and to report on it. The torture and ill treatment did subside after that. I would emphasize the importance of that.
Unfortunately, it's not as much as we'd like, but it can still be very vital.