Mahima
After detaining two Canadian citizens for a long period of time on charges of espionage, China has finally set a date for trial.
Canada’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marc Garneau issued a statement,
“Our embassy in Beijing has been notified that court hearings of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are scheduled to take place on March 19 and March 22, respectively. We believe that these detentions are arbitrary and remain deeply troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding these proceedings.”
In a separate statement, Global Affairs Canada spokesman Jason Kung mentioned that the trial of Kovrig and Spavor will be held in Beijing and Liaoning, respectively.
The two Canadians were arrested and detained soon after Canadian police detained Meng Wanzhous, the CFO of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd on a U.S. warrant.
However, Beijing insists that the detention of Canadian citizens and arrest of Huawei CFO are mutually exclusive.
Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat who worked for the International Crisis Group is accused of
‘Stealing sensitive information and intelligence through contacts in China’
And Spavor, a Beijing-based businessman majorly focusing on North Korea is accused of providing sensitive information to Kovrig.
Chinese authorities have not disclosed the evidence against the suspects but have mentioned that “the facts are clear and evidence is solid”.
China has a conviction rate of almost 99% and public and media access is vastly limited in sensitive cases.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly refused to contemplate a trade of both the Canadian citizens for Meng as he has denounced the ‘political’ nature of the detention since its very beginning.
Recently, Canada’s parliament also approved a non-binding motion accusing China of committing genocide against its Muslim minorities in Xinjiang which has further strained the diplomatic relation between Ottawa and Beijing.
The former US President Donald Trump and the new US President Joe Biden have pledged to assist the safe return of both the Canadian citizens.
Biden while speaking with Trudeau remarked,
“Human Beings are not bartering chips. We are going to work together until we get their safe return”.
Vice President Kamala Harris also spoke with Trudeau and maintained that Washington was in
“Strong solidarity with Canada regarding the issue of two Canadian citizens unjustly detained in China”.