Madam Speaker, the next petition I am tabling is regarding the brutal regime in Eritrea. Petitioners raise a number of different concerns related to the actions of that regime. They highlight how Eritrea has been ruled by an authoritarian, brutal dictator, under a totalitarian system, for the last 30 years, with no constitution, no election, no parliament, no freedom of the press and no freedom of movement and association.
Petitioners identify the large number of people who have left Eritrea as a result of the repression. They also identify efforts at foreign interference in Canada and other places by the Eritrean government. Petitioners also want to draw attention to the way that the Eritrean regime collaborates with Vladimir Putin and supports the Russian government's colonial activities in Africa.
The specific asks of the petition, therefore, are for the Government of Canada to engage political and human rights activists and pro-democracy groups, to take a leadership role among western allies, to challenge the Eritrean dictator's malicious conspiracy with Vladimir Putin, and to investigate instances of foreign interference of Eritrea in Canada and take appropriate action in response.
They also would like to highlight the case of a number of imprisoned journalists and parliamentarians, specifically Dawit Isaak, Petros Solomon, Mahmoud Ahmed Sherifo, Haile Woldense, Ogbe Abraha, Hamid Himid, Saleh Idris Kekya, Estifanos Seyoum, Berhane Ghebrezgabiher, Astier Fesehazion, Germano Nati, Beraki Gebreselassie, and other political prisoners.
Furthermore, the petitioners want the government to strengthen sanctions against human rights abusers in Eritrea.