Yes. Thank you.
Absolutely, we need this international coordination. Maybe we can dream of starting across democracies. We know that the G7 created the rapid response mechanism, which is still in the very early stages. It should be subjected to many criticisms, including that it has not come yet with a mutual definition of transnational repression and digital transnational repression.
The other area that really needs work starts with the definition as well as the recognition of both phenomena as human rights violations. It's not only the threat to the national security of the country; it's also a human rights violation. That gives it more importance to be addressed by these means, because it involves further and upper levels of the work, including the involvement of different government institutions up top to the diplomacy and, for sure, the foreign affairs.
We really need to do this work. As well, we need coordinated responses in terms of responding to digital threats.
For instance, the United States did some good work. The Biden administration listed some of the companies whose technology has been used in human rights violations in sanctions, whereas Canada has not done this yet. The Biden administration also has been working across different departments, which could be drawn as a possible road map for Canada and other democracies across the G7 to build on. It is absolutely not enough, because more work must be done by opening the space for its definition and recognition as a human rights violation and for exchanging lessons learned.
On top of or aside from that, maybe there could be some exchange of information in relation to the accountability and the capture and arrest of perpetrators, the same way that dictators exchange information about dissidents and coordinate the arrest, kidnapping and abduction of them back home.
I can give an example from the Nordic states. When they came together, they coordinated police responses when the Iranian mercenaries tried to assassinate the Ahwazi activists on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden. The Nordic states came together and coordinated their efforts and exchanged information. They also revoked the diplomatic immunity of the Iranian diplomats and held them accountable. Such measures could be preventive measures.