Hearings set for Kovrig, Spavor; two Canadians detained in China since 2018
Posted March 17, 2021 5:33 pm.
Last Updated March 17, 2021 8:33 pm.
The trials for the Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, jailed in China since 2018, will be held in a matter of days.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau says the Canadian embassy in Beijing has been notified that court hearings for Spavor and Kovrig are scheduled to take place on Friday and Monday.
In a statement, Garneau says the detentions are arbitrary and the Canadian government remains deeply troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding the proceedings.
“The arbitrary detention of Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor is a top priority for the Government of Canada and we continue to work tirelessly to secure their immediate release,” said Garneau.
“Canadian officials are seeking continued consular access to Mr. Spavor and Mr. Kovrig, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the China-Canada Consular Agreement, and have also requested to attend the proceedings.
“Canadian officials will continue to provide consular support to these men and their families during this unacceptable ordeal. Due to the provisions of the Privacy Act, no further information can be disclosed,” the statement concludes.
BREAKING: court hearings have been set for Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been detained in China since 2018 #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/U13cH4y9BK
— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) March 17, 2021
The two Canadian men, known to many around the world simply as “the two Michaels,” were detained in December 2018 and were allegedly subjected to questioning for up to eight hours a day.
Their cases, which have been cited as an instance of “hostage diplomacy,” have been widely linked to Canada’s decision to detain Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice.
In the summer of 2020, the two men were formally charged with spying on national secrets and providing state secrets to entities outside of China.
The controversy has been taken up by several of Canada’s allies, including U.S. President Joe Biden, who recently pledged his support to help free the two men.
Prior to his detention and subsequent arrest, Kovrig was working for the International Crisis Group out of its Hong Kong office.
Before that, Kovrig worked for the United Nations and as a Canadian diplomat.
Spavor had been a consultant and the director of Paektu Cultural Exchange, an organization that promotes investment and tourism in North Korea.
Meng was arrested in Vancouver on December 1, 2018, in connection to the extradition treaty between Canada and the U.S.
In early 2019, Meng was charged with financial fraud.
Later in early 2020, the Huawei executive was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges of trade secrets theft which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.
With files from The Canadian Press
