Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank the witnesses for being with us this evening.
I'd like to ask Mr. Diamond a question about Algeria.
A constituent in my riding, Lazhar Zouaïmia, is an activist with Amnesty International in Quebec. He campaigns for the human rights of people in Algeria. He has been a Canadian citizen for about 15 years. His situation is a bit tragic. He has two children here, as well as a wife. He lost his 21‑year‑old son in a car accident about a year ago. He went to Algeria to carry out some sort of funeral rite. He wanted to pay his respects in his country and home village. However, the Algerian government arrested him at the airport, charged him with terrorism and imprisoned him. Mr. Zouaïmia is a simple Amnesty International activist who works in Quebec for democracy in Algeria.
These events happened not too long ago; it was about a month ago. The situation is a bit complicated because of Mr. Zouaïmia's dual Canadian‑Algerian citizenship. Since the Algerian government denies his Canadian citizenship, Mr. Zouaïmia doesn't have access to consular services, so it's extremely difficult to know what's going on there.
Mr. Diamond, is this a situation you are concerned about or that you've ever faced?
First of all, can you tell me if you're familiar with Mr. Zouaïmia's case?