Thank you.
The first thing we would say is that with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Canada can support that in writing to, and making a filing with, that working group to raise concerns that Jimmy Lai is arbitrarily detained. That's something that we would welcome and would ask for support with. We can talk to you in more detail about that.
The second and third items relate to the UN special rapporteur on torture and the UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism. The UN special rapporteur on torture, Dr. Alice Edwards, is presenting her annual report, I believe, on March 12 in Geneva. Canada has a speaking slot in the interactive dialogue on that day; and we think, first of all, Canada should publicly raise concerns about the reliance upon coerced evidence obtained through torture, and the absence of any investigation. To be clear, as soon as you have a credible, reasonable suspicion of torture having been used, as a matter of international law, a state has an obligation to investigate that.
Now, The Washington Post, on December 17, published a very detailed piece. Shibani Mahtani, the journalist, after a one-year investigation concluded that Andy Li had been tortured and that the evidence he provided against Jimmy Lai had been coerced. China has done absolutely nothing about that.
Dr. Alice Edwards has written to China to ask why there has been no investigation, what they are doing about this and why they are relying upon this man in Jimmy Lai's trial. They've yet to have a reply. She's spoken out about it publicly. Canada should be supporting her in that regard. We haven't yet seen any states supporting Dr. Alice Edwards in the statement she made last week. It's imperative they do so as quickly as possible, and we would certainly expect to see them do so publicly on March 12.
The last one is the special rapporteur on counter-terrorism. The national security law is a misuse of counter-terrorism law, by its very nature. Canada has said that in other fora. It should say it in the United Nations, loud and clear, when the rapporteur delivers his annual report, which I believe will also happen on March 12.
I think all eyes should be on what Canada does in Geneva in mid-March in relation to these issues. They are international mechanisms that can be used—there's an opportunity coming up within five weeks.