Diplomats not allowed to attend Canadian trial in Beijing

Canadian diplomats have again been excluded from court in Beijing, where Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, is on trial for suspected espionage.

Shortly after 9 a.m., the deputy head of the Canadian Embassy in Beijing emerged empty-handed from the small court reception building. “Despite the international agreement that China has signed, we will not have access to it,” Jim Nickel told reporters in attendance, who were repeatedly pushed back by uniformed officers.

Canada has an agreement with the Chinese that provides consular assistance in any legal matter. “We have been asked to go to court on several occasions, but this is systematically rejected,” Nickel said.

A court employee says there is a good reason for this. Sessions involving state secrets should not be heard publicly.

Huawei

Kovrig was arrested in December 2018. According to China, he has extracted state secrets, although the evidence has not been shared so far.

His detention followed the arrest of Huawei’s CFO in Canada. Meng Wanzhou suspected of violating US sanctions against Iran. According to prosecutors, she lied to banks about Huawei’s ties to the country. Since then, she has been awaiting a possible extradition to the United States.

In addition to Kovrig, Michael Spavor was also arrested. His case was filed on Friday, but was adjourned after two hours. In both cases, critics say it involves retaliation for the arrest of the Huawei driver. Beijing denies this, but has repeatedly indicated that stopping the Huawei pilot return process could give way to a solution for the two Canadians. “Canada must end the arbitrary detention of Meng Wanzhou and return her to China,” said a foreign Chinese spokesperson.

Support from diplomats

Dozens of diplomats from at least 20 countries gathered at the court to show their support for Canadians. In addition to the Canadian delegation, delegates from the United States, Australia and the European Union, among others, attended Court Gate Number Two in the southern suburbs of Beijing. Two Dutch diplomats were also present. They also did not receive any information on the progress of the process.

It was only a few hours after the start of the hearing that the Canadian Embassy received confirmation that Kovrig was indeed present in court and that the case began. “Arbitrary detention, a judicial process that is not transparent. We are very concerned about this,” Nickel said.

“The United States stands side by side with Canada and calls for the immediate release of the two civilians in arbitrary detention,” said US diplomat Bill Klein.

10 years in prison

It remains to be seen if and when a decision will be made. Several diplomats have hinted that Beijing may want to wait until April, when the extradition case involving Meng Wanzhou must be settled.

The two Michaels are awaiting at least ten years in prison on conviction. In extreme cases, this could amount to a life sentence. The chance of acquittal is zero: in the Chinese legal system, more than 99% of suspects brought to justice are actually convicted.