Diplomats Denied Access to Canadian’s Spying Trial in China

The trial begins for Canadian Michael Kovrig, one of the two Canadian citizens detained in China two years ago for espionage. The trial for fellow Canadian Michael Spavor started Friday. The two Michaels were detained in China in 2018, days after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada at the request of the U.S.

“We’ve requested access to Michael Kovrig’s hearing repeatedly but access has been denied,“ said the Canadian Embassy's Jim Nickel outside the court in Beijing. “The reason that has been given to us why we’re being denied access to our citizens facing trial is this is a so-called national security case, and therefore it’s a closed case.”

The trial of Michael Spavor ended after about two hours, a lawyer said, one day after relatives pleaded for his release.

No verdict in Michael Spavor’s case was announced, James Zimmerman, of the law firm Perkins Coie, said Friday via a social messaging app. Spavor’s Chinese defense counsel was present for the trial, the lawyer for his family said.

Canada’s request to attend the hearing was denied by Chinese officials, the Canadian embassy said in an email. The hearing was held in private because it involved state secrets, the court in Dandong, in the northeastern province of Liaoning, said in a statement.

Spavor and Michael Kovrig were detained in late 2018 on allegations of violating Chinese national security and then charged in June last year. Spavor was accused by China of stealing and illegally providing state secrets to other countries. Kovrig, an analyst for International Crisis Group, was charged with spying on state secrets. People convicted of serious violations of the section of law cited by Chinese authorities face 10 years to life in prison.

The men were taken into custody after Canada detained Huawei Technologies Co. executive Meng Wanzhou in response to a U.S. extradition request. Kovrig will attend his first hearing on Monday. Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau called the detentions “arbitrary” and said Canada is “deeply troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding these proceedings.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeated that criticism, calling the situation “completely unacceptable.”

China’s embassy in Ottawa bristled at those comments. “This is just fact-distorting,” an unnamed spokesperson said in a statement posted to the embassy website. “On the one hand, the Canadian side claims that it upholds the rule of law, but on the other hand, it makes irresponsible remarks with regards to China’s handling relevant cases in accordance with law. How hypocritical and arrogant.”

Meng was back in a British Columbia courtroom last week contesting her extradition in an Iran sanctions case. China has often linked the cases of the two men to her detention. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters last year that halting the extradition “could open up space for resolution to the situation of the two Canadians.” Zhao said during a regular news briefing Friday in Beijing he had no new information about matter.

The Spavor family said in a statement that he is “an ordinary Canadian businessman” who “would never have done anything to offend the interests of China or the Chinese people.” They called on Chinese officials to release both Spavor and Kovrig.

The family’s statement added that Spavor “has had very limited access and interaction with his retained Chinese defense counsel,” and that the vague charges against him have not been made public. It quoted the Beijing-based Zimmerman as saying the authorities’ “failure to allow for effective legal representation is a violation of China’s international obligations” and meant the local defense team couldn’t adequately prepare for a trial.

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