Michael Spavor to face trial in China on Friday, Michael Kovrig on Monday, Ottawa says

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/03/2021 (1441 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER—The trials of two Canadians arrested in Beijing in late 2018 in what Canadian officials call an “arbitrary” arrest will be held on Friday and Monday, according to a press release from Global Affairs Canada.

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested in China in December 2018 days after Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver on a request from the United States, where she is wanted on fraud charges.

“Our embassy in Beijing has been notified that court hearings for Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are scheduled to take place on March 19 and March 22, respectively,” said Global Affairs Minister Marc Garneau. He added Canada is trying to secure access to the trials.

Both men have been charged with espionage-related crimes and their arrests are regarded by many observers as retaliation for the arrest of Meng. In the release Garneau reiterated Ottawa’s stance the men are being held without merit.

“We believe these detentions are arbitrary, and remain deeply troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding these proceedings.”

Canadian officials are “continuing to provide” consular assistance to Kovrig and Spavor, the release said.

Meng is wanted on fraud charges in the U.S. related to a case stemming from a 2013 meeting with HSBC when, it’s alleged, she told the bank her company was in compliance with U.S. sanctions on Iran. U.S. authorities charge Meng knew Huawei was doing business in Iran through a company it owned called Skycom.

She was arrested in Vancouver while changing flights and has since been fighting extradition to the U.S. while under house arrest in a Vancouver home.

Soon after her arrest, authorities arrested Kovrig then Spavor in China and accused them of spying.

Kovrig is a diplomat on leave who was working for Crisis Group, an organization helping to resolve conflicts around the world, at the time of his arrest. He is charged on suspicion of spying for state secrets and intelligence.

Spavor, a businessman who was operating from northern China stands accused of spying for a foreign entity and illegally providing state secrets.

Chinese authorities allege the two men were working together.

China denies the men were arrested in retaliation for the arrest of Meng, but those who took part in a back-channel diplomatic trip in an effort to release the men told the Star Chinese officials indicated to them Kovrig and Spavor would be released if Meng was let go.

Such action by China has been on the rise, including the arrest of an Australian working in Chinese state media as Beijing’s relations with that country sour. Beijing’s increasing belligerence on the world stage caused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to accuse China of coercive diplomacy last year.

Canada also spearheaded a declaration denouncing hostage diplomacy.

Earlier this month China’s ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, rejected the statement.

“This kind of megaphone diplomacy will never work, will never succeed,” Cong said.

With a file from Tonda MacCharles

Jeremy Nuttall is a Vancouver-based investigative reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @Nuttallreports