Canadian Michael Spavor’s spy trial in China over in less than 3 hours, diplomat says
- Officials are now awaiting the verdict, says Jim Nickel, charge d’affaires of the Canadian embassy in Beijing
- Spavor is one of two Canadians detained for more than two years on espionage charges which Ottawa has called ‘trumped up’
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The court hearing for a Canadian man detained in China for more than two years on espionage charges finished after less than three hours on Friday, a Canadian diplomat said.
Canada has attacked the charges against its citizens as “trumped up”, and the three cases have sent relations between Ottawa and Beijing to their lowest point in decades.
Spavor’s family have called for his unconditional release, insisting that he was innocent of the accusations and had done much as a businessman to “build constructive ties” between Canada, China and North Korea.
Jim Nickel, the charge d’affaires of the Canadian embassy in Beijing, told reporters outside the court in northeastern China that the hearing had finished, and officials were awaiting the verdict.
Nickel had earlier told reporters outside the court in the city of Dandong near China’s border with North Korea that Canada was “disappointed by the lack of transparency and the lack of access” to the proceedings, from which Canadian officials were barred.
The two men were detained just days after Meng was arrested in Canada, drawing accusations from Ottawa that they were taken as virtual hostages to apply pressure in the Huawei executive’s case.
Meng, whose father is Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, has been fighting extradition to the US on charges that she and the company violated US sanctions on Iran and other laws.
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The “Two Michaels”, as they have become known, have had almost no contact with the outside world since their detention.
China’s judicial system convicts most people who stand trial and the two men face up to life in prison if found guilty of “espionage” and “providing state secrets”.
Nickel said, with US support, Canada hopes to obtain their “immediate release”.
“We are working closely with the United States as well to secure the immediate release of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, so we are hopeful that in some measure this trial may lead to [that].”
Beijing has insisted the detention of the two Canadians is lawful, while calling Meng’s case “a purely political incident”.
A police van with tinted windows was seen arriving at the court in Dandong earlier on Friday morning, surrounded by about a dozen police officers as it drove past reporters waiting outside.
A group of 10 diplomats from eight other countries including Britain, the US, France and Australia had also travelled to Dandong, in what Nickel described as a gesture of solidarity for Spavor and to “register their opposition to arbitrary detention”.
“We appreciate the international support,” he told reporters.
