Justin Trudeau denounces Canadian spy trial in China

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemns the closed-door espionage trial of Michael Spavor, a Canadian businessman who was arrested in the espionage case along with former diplomat Michael Kovrig. Canada accuses China of conducting ‘Hostage diplomacy’.

A diplomatic spat has erupted between Canada, US, and China after the spy-trial of Canadian Businessman, Micheal Sparov has ended in China with no verdict. Michael was accused of espionage and was arrested two years ago in China along with former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, who is scheduled to go for trial on Monday.

Spavor’s trial, that took place in the northern Chinese city of Dandong on Friday morning, seeemed to hhave lasted for two hours.  The detentions came days after Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, a senior executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei, on a US extradition warrant.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reacted furiously on the case and has dismissed the closed-door trials stating it to be ‘completely unacceptable’. The leader condemned the case while talking to the press at a news conference and said that China’s arbitary detention is completly unacceptable as is  the lack of transparency in their court proceedings.

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As the trial took place,  diplomats and media gathered outside the courtroom and all of them were barred from entering the premises. the charge d’affaires of the Canadian embassy in China, Jim Nickel, who was also present outside and was denied an entry told the reporters that it was a breach of international law to bar them from the trial.

Justin Trudeau stated that China needs to understand that this is  not just about two canadians. He further said that  it is about respect for the rule of law and relationships with a broad range of western countries that is at play with the arbitrary detention and the coercive diplomacy they have engaged in.

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