Canadian Michael Kovrig’s wife calls for intervention in Meng Wanzhou case
- Situation growing ‘more dire’ for former diplomat ‘cut off and isolated’ in Chinese custody since December 2018
- Arrest of Kovrig and fellow Canadian Michael Spavor widely regarded as retaliation for detention of Meng at request of US
Kovrig, 48, and fellow Canadian Michael Spavor were arrested in China in December 2018 soon after Meng’s arrest in Vancouver at the request of the US, where she is wanted on fraud charges. The two men were formally charged last week with espionage.
Kovrig’s wife, Vina Nadjibulla, who lives in Toronto, has been fighting for his release since his arrest but went public this week for the first time.
“The situation keeps getting more and more dire for Michael,” she said. “He is completely cut off and isolated. We believe this is the moment to consider all options. We are running out of time.”
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China accuses detained Canadians of spying, following Huawei CFO extradition approval
Nadjibulla said legal experts had determined the Canadian justice minister had the authority to stop the extradition process at any point if it was in the national interest, not only once court proceedings have concluded.