Detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig

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The detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig occurred in December 2018, when the two Canadian men were taken into custody in the People's Republic of China. Their detention and subsequent indictment under the state secrets law is regarded as an act of retaliation against Canada for its arrest of Huawei telecoms executive Meng Wanzhou, and has been cited as an instance of hostage diplomacy.[1] The pair is frequently and colloquially referred to as the Two Michaels.[2][3][4]

Following their detention in December 2018, the men were transferred to detention facilities where they were interrogated for up to eight hours a day. The lights in their cells are reportedly left on 24 hours a day, and they have been denied access to consular officials and to their lawyers.[1] Prior to his detention and arrest, Michael 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.[5] Michael Spavor had been a consultant and the director of , an organization that promotes investment and tourism in North Korea.[6]

Background[]

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.[7] 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.[8][9] On January 28, 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced financial fraud charges against Meng.[10][11] If proven guilty, Meng potentially faces up to 10 years' imprisonment per 18 U.S.C. § 1832.[12]

Arrest and detention[]

Kovrig joined the International Crisis Group in February 2017 as a senior adviser for North East Asia.[5] 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.[13] 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".[14]

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.[1][15]

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.[16] It ended with the identical statement - that the verdict will be announced at an unspecified later date.[17]

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.[18]

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.[19]

Michael Spavor was tried on March 19, 2021.[20] Spavor was convicted of espionage and sentenced to eleven years by a court in Dandong City, of the province of Liaoning, China, according to an announcement[21] dated August 11, 2021 on the website of the court.[22]

Michael Kovrig was tried on March 22, 2021; verdict was to be announced at an unspecified later date.[17] The trials were held in closed sessions[17] 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.[23]

International response[]

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.[24]

Their arrest became a point of contention for Canada–China relations.[25]

On January 21, 2019, more than 220 prominent political and academic individuals signed a letter calling on China to release Kovrig and Spavor.[26]

Michael Kovrig[]

Michael Kovrig is a Canadian-Hungarian[27] 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, although his arrest is widely considered to be political retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on December 1, 2018.[28][29]

In March 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Kovrig was permitted by the Chinese government to have a telephone conversation with his sick father.[30]

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.[31][32]

Kovrig attended Royal St. George's College in Toronto and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1994.[33][31] In 2003 he graduated from Columbia University with a master's degree in international affairs.[31] Kovrig is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.[5] He worked for a time after graduation at the United Nations Development Programme in New York City and in Kabul, Afghanistan.[5]

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.[34]

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.[35]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Nathan Vanderklippe. China charges Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor with espionage. The Globe and Mail, June 20, 2020.
  2. ^ Jeremy Nuttall; Douglas Quan (June 24, 2020). "'Two Michaels' fight is bigger than Canada, global observers say — and the world is watching". The Toronto Star.
  3. ^ Paul James; Renee Bernard (October 11, 2020). "'Two Michaels' given consular access, Canada's former ambassador to China still skeptical". City News AM 1130.
  4. ^ "Two Michaels". Global News.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Michael Kovrig". Crisis Group. February 20, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  6. ^ "Michael Spavor: The detained Canadian close to Kim Jong-un". BBC News. December 13, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "Extradition in Canada" (Press release). Department of Justice Canada. December 12, 2018. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 18 U.S.C. § 1832. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  13. ^ "Detention of Michael Kovrig". Crisis Group. December 12, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  14. ^ Staff; agencies (September 5, 2019). "Canada: Trudeau accuses China of using 'arbitrary detentions' for political ends". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  15. ^ Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor: China charges Canadians with spying, BBC, June 19, 2020
  16. ^ "Michael Spavor's trial in China ends without a ruling". CBC News. Thomson Reuters. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Trial of Michael Kovrig concludes with verdict to come later, Chinese court says". CBC. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  18. ^ "Michael Spavor: Canadian jailed for 11 years in China on spying charges". BBC News. August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  19. ^ "'Not a coincidence': China has tied fates of detained Canadians to Meng case, experts warn - National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  20. ^ "Canadians Alarmed by Trial of Businessman Accused of Spying in China". Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ McKeen, Alex (August 10, 2021). "Canadian Michael Spavor found guilty of espionage charges in China, sentenced to 11 years".
  23. ^ D'Andrea, Aaron (August 11, 2021). "Garneau unsure when Michael Kovrig verdict will come as China sentences 2 Canadians". Global News. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  24. ^ "Held for 500 days: Trudeau confirms China blocking visits to Canadian duo". South China Morning Post. April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  25. ^ Staff; agencies (September 5, 2019). "Canada: Trudeau accuses China of using 'arbitrary detentions' for political ends". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  26. ^ "Mr. Xi, release these two Canadian citizens". The Globe and Mail Inc. January 21, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  27. ^ Blanchard, Ben (December 20, 2018). "Exclusive: Detained Canadian in China also Hungarian, Hungary seeks access - sources". Reuters. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  28. ^ News (April 18, 2020). "No visitors for Michael Kovrig, Michael Spavor due to COVID-19 as 500th day in Chinese prison nears | National Post". Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  29. ^ Clarke, Donald. "Opinion | China is holding two Canadians as hostages. It's not even denying it". Washington Post. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  30. ^ "Michael Kovrig granted phone call by China with ill father amid coronavirus pandemic". Global News. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  31. ^ Jump up to: a b c O' Connor, Joe (July 9, 2020). "Captive in China: Michael Kovrig, the older brother who didn't come back". National Post. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  32. ^ "Joseph Kuchar". Montreal Gazette. March 11, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ "Canadian ex-diplomat 'held in China'". BBC News. December 12, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  35. ^ Zrt, HVG Kiadó (July 16, 2021). "Kínában ártatlanul börtönbe került volt énekeséről írt dalt a Bankrupt". hvg.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved July 17, 2021.
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