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China denies foreign diplomats access to Canada's Michael Spavor trial
China detained the two Canadians in December 2018 after Canada detained Huawei Technologies Co. executive Meng Wanzhou in response to a US extradition request. The pair were then charged in June last year.
Chinese authorities refused diplomats from more than 20 countries access to the Beijing trial of jailed Canadian Michael Kovrig, in the latest international dispute over the high-profile spying case.
Kovrig, an analyst for International Crisis Group, appeared Monday at the Beijing No. 2 People’s Intermediate Court to face allegations of spying on state secrets. The group of diplomats, led by Jim Nickel, the charge d’affaires at the Canadian Embassy, were refused access, in a repeat of what happened Friday at the related spying trial of Canadian Michael Spavor.
“Michael Kovrig has been arbitrarily detained for more than two years now, precisely 833 days,” Nickel told reporters. “This is completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency in these court proceedings.”
China detained the two Canadians in December 2018 after Canada detained Huawei Technologies Co. executive Meng Wanzhou in response to a US extradition request. The pair were then charged in June last year.
Spavor, who organized trips to North Korea, went on trial on Friday in the northeastern city of Dandong on charges of stealing and illegally providing state secrets to other countries. No verdict was announced after two hours of proceedings.
Individuals convicted of serious violations of parts of the law cited by Chinese authorities face 10 years to life in prison. Diplomats attempting to attend the proceedings Monday included representatives from the US, the UK, the European Union and numerous European countries.
China has closely tied the cases of the two men to Meng’s, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian telling reporters last year that halting her extradition “could open up space for resolution to the situation of the two Canadians.”
The US is seeking the extradition of Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, to try her on fraud charges. Her extradition case is pending in Canadian courts.
Canada has criticized China’s handling of the two men’s cases. Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said his country is “deeply troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding these proceedings.” On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the situation “completely unacceptable.”
The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa disputed those comments, with an unnamed spokesperson saying in a statement posted on the embassy website: “This is just fact-distorting.”
“On the one hand, the Canadian side claims that it upholds the rule of law, but on the other hand, it makes irresponsible remarks with regards to China’s handling relevant cases in accordance with law,” the embassy said.
