Harsh criticism of closed-door trial against two Canadians in China – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

Canada criticizes the fact that no diplomat or journalist was allowed to enter the Beijing courtroom on Monday.

“We are very concerned about this lack of access and transparency in the legal process,” Jim Nickel of the Canadian Embassy told reporters outside the courtroom.

Canada’s Michael Kovrig is on trial on charges of espionage. He was arrested over two years ago. A closed-door trial against compatriot Michael Spavor also began on Friday.

– That two dozen diplomats join forces to try to exert pressure is an interference in the legal sovereignty of China. That’s not what diplomats should be doing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

Espionage charges

Both Spavor and Kovrig were arrested shortly after Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was arrested during a layover in Canada in December 2018.

She is also vice chairman of the board of the Chinese company and daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei.

Meng Wanzhou is accused in the United States of violating sanctions against Iran and stealing technology. The Chinese director has been released on bail. She has not yet been extradited to the United States.

In June last year, China accused former diplomat Kovrig and businessman Spavor of being Canadian spies. They must have collected intelligence material and state secrets.

Both say the accusations are unfounded. The Canadian government is doing the same.

Michael Kovrig’s wife calls on China to release her husband and Michael Spavor in an interview with Canadian television, CBC.

Bad relations between China and Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls what is happening “forced diplomacy” and “totally unacceptable”.

– China needs to understand that it’s not just two Canadians. It’s about respect for the rule of law and relations with many Western countries, Trudeau says.

These cases have led to very strained relations between Canada and China.

Diplomats and journalists were not allowed to attend the trial because the case concerns national security, according to Chinese authorities.

Diplomats from 26 countries, including Norway, came to show their solidarity with the Canadian Embassy.

The accused is former diplomat Michael Kovrig. He now works for the International Crisis Group. It is an international organization headquartered in Brussels that works to prevent and resolve conflicts.

The other Canadian accused is Michael Spavor. Canadian diplomats were also denied entry when the trial against him began on Friday in the northern Chinese city of Dandong.

Spavor has done a lot of work in North Korea. He is the director of the Paektu Cultural Exchange Company, which promotes investment, cultural exchanges and tourism in North Korea.

Risk of life sentence

Former Canadian Ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques told AFP the trials are expected to last shortly.

– China does not even try to pretend that this is a real trial. They will only confirm the predetermined result that the Communist Party ordered, says Saint-Jacques.

Both men face life imprisonment if convicted of espionage.