Mr. Speaker, the next petition is from members of the Eritrean community who have been following efforts by this government to strengthen and deepen diplomatic relationships with Eritrea.
The petitioners want to bring the attention of the House to human rights concerns with respect to Eritrea. It has been ruled by an authoritarian, brutal dictator under an authoritarian 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. They note that Eritreans continue to flee indefinite military conscription, religious persecution and political repression. They highlight how those who have managed to flee the country still face intimidation and extortion from representatives and agents of the Eritrean regime in the diaspora, and that families in Eritrea are also harassed and forced to pay tens of thousands of local currencies because their children have fled. They are also concerned about various forms of foreign interference that are driven by the regime in Eritrea, various other human rights abuses, and the malicious conspiracy between Eritrea's dictator and Vladimir Putin that threatens the security of other peoples in Africa and around the world.
Therefore, the petitioners call on the government to engage Eritrean political and human rights activists and pro-democracy groups, take a leadership role against the joint actions of this dictator and Vladimir Putin against western countries and countries in Africa, investigate foreign interference of the regime in Canada, and enforce Canada's asylum laws against those who explicitly provide material and political support to this regime. They want to see Parliament and the government advocate for the release of Swedish Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak and 11 imprisoned Eritrean parliamentarians, and strengthen sanctions against human rights abusers in Eritrea.