Second Canadian, Michael Kovrig, goes on trial in China on spying charges with diplomats refused access
- Beijing trial of analyst and former diplomat follows hearing of compatriot Michael Spavor in northeastern China on Friday
- Detention of the pair is suspected retaliation for the arrest in Canada of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou
Canadian diplomats have been refused access to the trials and told hearings would be held behind closed doors because of alleged national security concerns. Diplomats and journalists have shown up nonetheless to seek information and show support.
Outside Beijing’s No 2 Intermediate Court, Jim Nickel, the Canadian embassy’s deputy chief of mission, said he had been told the trial had begun but was barred from entry in what he said was a violation of China’s international and bilateral treaty obligations.
“Michael Kovrig has been detained for more than two years now. He’s been arbitrarily detained and now we see that the court process itself is not transparent,” Nickel told reporters. “We’re very troubled by this but we thank those who have come out from the embassies here in Beijing and the international support that we’ve had for Michael, for Canada and the call that many of us are making for their immediate release.”
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Second Canadian, Michael Kovrig, on trial behind closed doors in China on spying charges
Nickel said 26 countries had sent representatives to show their support, including the United States, Britain, Australia and many European nations. It was not clear how long the trial would last or when a verdict would be announced.
The government has provided almost no information about the accusations against the two, but a newspaper run by the ruling Communist Party alleges they collaborated in stealing state secrets and sending them abroad. No verdict has been announced in Spavor’s case and it was not clear if additional hearings would be held.
Be sceptical of Canada border officers’ honesty, Meng lawyer tells judge
While Meng has been released on bail, the two Canadians have been held since being detained. They were charged in June 2020 under China’s broadly defined national security laws.
“Their arbitrary detention is completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency around these court proceedings,” Trudeau said in Ottawa.
“China needs to understand that it is not just about two Canadians. It’s about respect for the rule of law and relationships with a broad range of Western countries that are at play with the arbitrary detention and the coercive diplomacy that they’ve engaged in.”
Meng’s case has deeply angered China’s government, which has promoted Huawei as a global leader in mobile communications technology, and sees her detention as a deliberate attempt to malign Chinese companies and impede the nation’s growing economic and political clout.
