Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig return home to Canada after more than 1,000 days of captivity in China.
Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are on their way home, three years after their arrest in China. This is confirmed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau according to the public broadcaster Radio-Canada.
They have been imprisoned in China for over 1,000 days.
– These two men have had incredible hardships over the past 1000 days. They displayed strength, endurance and dignity and we are all inspired by that, Trudeau said.
Spavor was sentenced to eleven years in prison for espionage, a verdict that Canadian authorities believe was politically motivated. Kovrig has also been charged with similar offenses.
They were arrested immediately after the arrest of Huawei boss Meng Wanzhou, but China has consistently denied the two cases were linked. Earlier Friday, Meng Wanzhou released from house arrest in Canada. She was held there after being released on bail in 2018.
She was arrested during a layover in Vancouver after the United States issued an arrest warrant against her for violating sanctions against Iran by selling equipment from the American computer company Hewlett-Packard.
This has led to a diplomatic entanglement between China and Canada.
Chinese authorities claimed in December 2018 that they had not been given any reason for Meng’s arrest, and China has threatened Canada with sanctions if she is not released. Just two days later, on December 10, 2018, the two Canadians were arrested in China.
The conflict has also led China to use trade policy to express its anger, especially when in June 2019 it blocked all shipments of pork from Canada, according to Reuters.
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