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| t>{{Cite web|date=September 24, 2021|title=China has released detained Canadians Kovrig, Spavor: PM|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/china-has-released-detained-canadians-kovrig-spavor-pm-1.5598969|access-date=September 25, 2021|website=CTVNews|language=en|archive-date=September 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925005810/https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/china-has-released-detained-canadians-kovrig-spavor-pm-1.5598969|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| footer = Michael Spavor (left) and Michael Kovrig (right)}}
In December 2018, Canadian nationals [[Michael Spavor]] and [[Michael Kovrig]] were taken into custody in the [[People's Republic of China]]. Their detention on December 10 and subsequent indictment under the state secrets law are regarded as an act of retaliation against Canada for its arrest of [[Huawei]] telecoms executive [[Meng Wanzhou]] on December 1, and have been cited as an instance of [[hostage diplomacy]].<ref name=Globe06202020>Nathan Vanderklippe. [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-china-charges-michael-kovrig-and-michael-spavor-with-spying/ China charges Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor with espionage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715151213/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-china-charges-michael-kovrig-and-michael-spavor-with-spying/ |date=July 15, 2020 }}. ''The Globe and Mail'', June 20, 2020.</ref> In English-language media, the pair is frequently and [[Colloquial language|colloquially]] referred to as the '''Two Michaels'''.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/06/24/two-michaels-fight-is-bigger-than-canada-global-observers-say-and-the-world-is-watching.html |title= 'Two Michaels' fight is bigger than Canada, global observers say — and the world is watching |author1= Jeremy Nuttall |author2= Douglas Quan |date= June 24, 2020 |newspaper= The Toronto Star |access-date= December 10, 2020 |archive-date= December 24, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201224002049/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/06/24/two-michaels-fight-is-bigger-than-canada-global-observers-say-and-the-world-is-watching.html |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/10/11/two-michaels-consular-access-china/ |title= 'Two Michaels' given consular access, Canada's former ambassador to China still skeptical |author1= Paul James |author2= Renee Bernard |date= October 11, 2020 |publisher= City News AM 1130 |access-date= December 10, 2020 |archive-date= November 26, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201126144957/https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/10/11/two-michaels-consular-access-china/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://globalnews.ca/tag/two-michaels/ |title= Two Michaels |publisher= Global News |access-date= December 10, 2020 |archive-date= December 10, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201210221008/https://globalnews.ca/tag/two-michaels/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

Following their detention, the men were transferred to detention facilities where they were interrogated for up to eight hours a day. The lights in their cells were reportedly left on 24 hours a day, and they were denied access to consular officials and to their lawyers.<ref name="Globe06202020"/> Prior to his detention and arrest, Kovrig was working for the [[International Crisis Group]] out of its [[Hong Kong]] office. He previously worked for the [[United Nations]] and as a Canadian diplomat.<ref name="crisis">{{Cite web|url=https://www.crisisgroup.org/who-we-are/people/michael-kovrig|title=Michael Kovrig|date=February 20, 2017|website=Crisis Group|language=en|access-date=April 29, 2020|archive-date=October 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019145405/https://www.crisisgroup.org/who-we-are/people/michael-kovrig|url-status=live}}</ref> Spavor had been a consultant and the director of [[Paektu Cultural Exchange]], an organization that promotes investment and [[tourism in North Korea]].<ref name="BBC2018">{{Cite web |title=Michael Spavor: The detained Canadian close to Kim Jong-un |work=BBC News |date=December 13, 2018 |access-date=December 18, 2018 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46552644 |archive-date=May 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519155731/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46552644 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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On September 24, 2021, [[Prime Minister of Canada|Canadian Prime Minister]] [[Justin Trudeau]] announced that Kovrig and Spavor had been released from detention in China after 1,019 days, shortly after Meng Wanzhou was [[Extradition case of Meng Wanzhou#Deal with U.S. prosecutors and release|released from house arrest in Canada]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 24, 2021|title=China has released detained Canadians Kovrig, Spavor: PM|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/china-has-released-detained-canadians-kovrig-spavor-pm-1.5598969|access-date=September 25, 2021|website=CTVNews|language=en|archive-date=September 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925005810/https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/china-has-released-detained-canadians-kovrig-spavor-pm-1.5598969|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Background==
==Background==

Revision as of 01:31, 28 September 2021

{{multiple image | align = right | t>"China has released detained Canadians Kovrig, Spavor: PM". CTVNews. September 24, 2021. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.</ref>

Background

See also: Arrest of Meng Wanzhou

The detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor followed the arrest of Meng Wanzhou by Canadian authorities. Meng was the chief financial officer of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei, founded by her father Ren Zhengfei.[1] She was arrested at the Vancouver International Airport by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) at the request of the United States, pursuant to the extradition treaty between Canada and the United States.[2][3] On January 28, 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced financial fraud charges against Meng.[4][5] If proven guilty, Meng potentially faced up to 10 years' imprisonment per 18 U.S.C. § 1832.[6]

Arrest and detention

Kovrig joined the International Crisis Group in February 2017 as a senior adviser for North East Asia.[7] On December 10, 2018, Michael Kovrig was detained in Beijing around the same time as Michael Spavor, a Canadian consultant with a personal relationship with Kim Jong-un and a history of working with North Korea.[8] The prosecutors of the People's Republic of China charged the two Canadians with espionage endangering China's national security. If proven, such a crime may result in life sentences or more, to ensure the nondisclosure of illegally gathered intelligence. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called his arrest "arbitrary".[9]

Chinese legal proceedings

On June 19, 2020, the men were formally charged with spying on national secrets and providing state secrets to entities outside of China.[10][11]

In the lead-up to the first high-level diplomatic talks between Chinese officials and American officials working for Joe Biden, Spavor and Kovrig's trial dates were announced. On March 19, 2021, a two-hour closed court hearing for Spavor ended with no immediate verdict and Dandong Intermediate People's Court stating that it would set a date to release a decision later. Because the case involved Chinese national security law, the chargé d'affaires at the Canadian Embassy in China was denied entry to provide consular assistance. Diplomats from the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Australia, Sweden and Germany also sought access but were denied. Kovrig's trial was scheduled for March 22.[12] It ended with the identical statement - that the verdict will be announced at an unspecified later date.[13]

On August 10, 2021, the Dandong Intermediate People's Court found Michael Spavor guilty of espionage. Spavor was sentenced to eleven years in prison, in addition to the confiscation of ¥50,000, and his deportation. The statement released by the court did not specify when the deportation would take place, but China typically deports convicted foreigners after the completion of their prison sentence.[14][15][16][17]

Canada's Ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, accused the Chinese government of timing Spavor's verdict, as well as that of Robert Schellenberg one day prior, to coincide with that of Meng Wanzhou, which was occurring simultaneously in Canada.[18]

Michael Kovrig was tried on March 22, 2021; the verdict was to be announced at an unspecified later date.[13] The trials were held in closed sessions[13] in accordance of China's Rules of Criminal Procedure for national security cases.[citation needed] As of August 11, 2021, the verdict was still unknown to the Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau.[19]

Release

On September 24, 2021, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the two Michaels were released and returning to Canada on a plane with Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton.[20] Their release came on the same day that Meng Wanzhou was released after the dropping of her extradition request as part of her deferred prosecution agreement with the US Department of Justice.[21][22] Kovrig and Spavor arrived at Calgary International Airport the next morning, where they were greeted by Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau. Spavor remained in Calgary, while Kovrig flew to Toronto Pearson International Airport to meet his wife and family.[23]

International response

Their arrest became a subsequent point of contention for Canada–China relations.[24]

On January 21, 2019, more than 220 political and academic individuals signed a letter calling on China to release Kovrig and Spavor.[25]

On April 23, 2020, the 500th day of Kovrig's detention, Trudeau said consular visits for the detained Canadians were being blocked on account of the coronavirus lockdown.[26]

On September 5, 2021, a "March for the Michaels" was held in Ottawa to mark the thousandth day of Spavor and Kovrig's detention.[27] Organized and attended by the families of the two Michaels, about 150 people gathered to walk 7000 steps, meant to replicate the 7000 steps Kovrig took daily to maintain fitness in his prison cell.[28][29]

Michael Kovrig

Michael Kovrig (born February 3, 1972)[30] is a Canadian-Hungarian[31] former diplomat who worked for the International Crisis Group, a transnational, pro-peace think tank. After being detained in December 2018, he was accused of espionage by the Chinese government in May 2019. His arrest is widely considered[32][33] to be political retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou,[34][35] though the Chinese government has denied any connection between the two cases.[36]

In March 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Kovrig was permitted by the Chinese government to have a telephone conversation with his sick father.[37]

Education and professional background

Kovrig is the grandson of the Austrian-born industrialist Joseph Kuchar, who immigrated to Canada from Czechoslovakia in 1951 and founded the Record Chemical Company (Recochem) in Montreal.[38][39]

Kovrig attended Royal St. George's College in Toronto and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1994.[40][38] In 2003 he graduated from Columbia University with a master's degree in international affairs.[38] Kovrig is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.[7] He worked for a time after graduation at the United Nations Development Programme in New York City and in Kabul, Afghanistan where he met his wife Vina Nadjibulla.[41][7]

From 2010 to 2016, Kovrig worked for Canada's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was stationed in Hong Kong and Beijing from 2012 to 2016.[42]

From 1996 to 1999, Kovrig was the singer of the Hungarian punk rock band Bankrupt. On July 15, 2021, Bankrupt released the song Pekingi nyár (Beijing Summer) and its English-language version The Plane To Toronto, in protest of his detention. The band announced that all proceeds from the song were to be donated to Hostage International, at the request of Kovrig's family.[43]

References

  1. ^ "China unveils top 500 private firms, Huawei peaks list". XinhuaNet.com English. Xinhua. August 29, 2018. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  2. ^ "Extradition in Canada" (Press release). Department of Justice Canada. December 12, 2018. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  3. ^ Fife, Robert (December 5, 2018). "Canada arrests Huawei's global chief financial officer in Vancouver". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  4. ^ Lynch, Sarah (January 28, 2019). "U.S. unseals indictments against China's Huawei and CFO Meng Wanzhou". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  5. ^ Martell, Allison; Mehler Paperny, Anna (January 10, 2020). "Canadian prosecutors say case against Huawei CFO is about fraud, not sanctions". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  6. ^ 18 U.S.C. § 1832. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference crisis was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Detention of Michael Kovrig". Crisis Group. December 12, 2018. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  9. ^ Staff; agencies (September 5, 2019). "Canada: Trudeau accuses China of using 'arbitrary detentions' for political ends". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Globe06202020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor: China charges Canadians with spying Archived August 7, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, BBC, June 19, 2020
  12. ^ "Michael Spavor's trial in China ends without a ruling". CBC News. Thomson Reuters. March 18, 2021. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "Trial of Michael Kovrig concludes with verdict to come later, Chinese court says". CBC. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  14. ^ "Michael Spavor: Canadian jailed for 11 years in China on spying charges". BBC News. August 11, 2021. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  15. ^ Bilefsky, Dan; Hernández, Javier C. (March 19, 2021). "Canadians Alarmed by Trial of Businessman Accused of Spying in China". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  16. ^ "迈克尔•斯帕弗为境外刺探、非法提供国家秘密一案公开宣判". archive.org. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021.
  17. ^ McKeen, Alex (August 10, 2021). "Canadian Michael Spavor found guilty of espionage charges in China, sentenced to 11 years". Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  18. ^ "'Not a coincidence': China has tied fates of detained Canadians to Meng case, experts warn - National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  19. ^ D'Andrea, Aaron (August 11, 2021). "Garneau unsure when Michael Kovrig verdict will come as China sentences 2 Canadians". Global News. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  20. ^ Neustaeter, Brooklyn (September 24, 2021). "China has released detained Canadians Kovrig, Spavor: PM". CTV News. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  21. ^ "Huawei's Meng Wanzhou flies back to China after deal with US". BBC News. September 25, 2021. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  22. ^ "China releases detained Canadians Kovrig, Spavor after extradition against Meng Wanzhou dropped". CTVNews. September 24, 2021. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  23. ^ Paas-Lang, Christian (September 25, 2021). "Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor arrive in Canada after nearly 3-year detention in China". CBC News. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  24. ^ Staff; agencies (September 5, 2019). "Canada: Trudeau accuses China of using 'arbitrary detentions' for political ends". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  25. ^ "Mr. Xi, release these two Canadian citizens". The Globe and Mail Inc. January 21, 2019. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  26. ^ "Held for 500 days: Trudeau confirms China blocking visits to Canadian duo". South China Morning Post. April 24, 2020. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  27. ^ "'March for the Michaels': Families and supporters of Kovrig and Spavor mark 1,000 days in detention - National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  28. ^ Blanchfield, Mike (September 5, 2021). "Kovrig, Spavor supporters march in support of freeing the prisoners, as China objects". CTVNews. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  29. ^ Deachman, Bruce (September 6, 2021). "On the two Michaels' 1,000th day of captivity, hundreds march in Ottawa". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  30. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  31. ^ Blanchard, Ben (December 20, 2018). "Exclusive: Detained Canadian in China also Hungarian, Hungary seeks access - sources". Reuters. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  32. ^ "Prison term raises pressure on Canada and US in high-stakes China standoff". The Guardian. August 11, 2021. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  33. ^ Xiao, Eva (August 11, 2021). "China Sentences Canadian Citizen to 11 Years for Espionage in Case at Heart of Diplomatic Standoff". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  34. ^ News (April 18, 2020). "No visitors for Michael Kovrig, Michael Spavor due to COVID-19 as 500th day in Chinese prison nears | National Post". National Post. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2020. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  35. ^ Clarke, Donald. "Opinion | China is holding two Canadians as hostages. It's not even denying it". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  36. ^ CNN, Nectar Gan, Jessie Yeung and Steve George. "Beijing has denied taking political hostages. Experts say the fates of two Canadians suggest otherwise". CNN. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  37. ^ "Michael Kovrig granted phone call by China with ill father amid coronavirus pandemic". Global News. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  38. ^ a b c O' Connor, Joe (July 9, 2020). "Captive in China: Michael Kovrig, the older brother who didn't come back". National Post. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  39. ^ "Joseph Kuchar". Montreal Gazette. March 11, 2011. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  40. ^ RSGC Alumni Association. "Michael Kovrig '89 is a former Canadian diplomat working as the Senior Advisor, North East Asia for the International Crisis Group. He has been detained in China, without offence, since December 2018. On behalf of the entire Georgian community, we pray for his health, safety and his safe return home. He is in our thoughts. We call on the Government of Canada to bring all of its resources to secure the release of Michael and Michael Spavor". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  41. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  42. ^ "Canadian ex-diplomat 'held in China'". BBC News. December 12, 2018. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  43. ^ Zrt, HVG Kiadó (July 16, 2021). "Kínában ártatlanul börtönbe került volt énekeséről írt dalt a Bankrupt". hvg.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
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