Two Canadians accused of espionage in China on trial soon

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were charged with espionage in June of last year.

CAPE TOWN, March 14 (ANA) Two Canadian citizens suspected of spying in China could face trial soon.

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have been detained without bail since December 2018, CNN reported. They were charged with espionage in June 2020.

The charges were stated as “crimes undermining China’s national security”.

The Global Times announced on Thursday that their cases had previously been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic but that they were now going ahead.

On Twitter, the paper’s editor Hu Xijin said a source said the country’s judicial department would conduct its first trial over the cases “soon” and that the men are suspected of “crimes undermining China’s national security”.

In their report, the Global Times cited anonymous sources, saying Kovrig was accused of “having used an ordinary passport and business visa to enter China to steal sensitive information and intelligence through contacts in China since 2017”. The anonymous sources claimed that Spavor was accused of being “a key source of intelligence for Kovrig”.

Canada’s foreign ministry stated to the Guardian that they were “not aware” of any dates set for the two men’s court appearance.

“The Canadian government remains deeply concerned by the arbitrary detention by Chinese authorities of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig since December 2018 and continues to call for their immediate release,” a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said to the Guardian.

The status of both cases involving Kovrig and Spavor has been reiterated by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokespersons, and information about the cases has been published by China’s judicial authorities.

Kovrig consulted for the International Crisis Group and was a former Canadian diplomat (ICG). Spavor is a businessman located in Beijing with a specific focus on North Korea.

The “political” nature of their case was condemned by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said their detention was a decision taken by the Chinese government, which “we deplore”.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Devereaux Morkel