Garneau condemns Spavor verdict ‘in strongest possible terms’ — says Canada will work with U.S. to see detained Canadians freed

Canada's foreign affairs minister on Wednesday denounced the sentencing of Canadian detainee Michael Spavor, after China revealed Tuesday that he had been found guilty of espionage charges and would be sentenced to 11 years in a Chinese prison.

Spavor and fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig have been imprisoned in China for two and a half years in what has been widely viewed as retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver in 2018. Meng is currently facing extradition proceedings in Vancouver that would send her to the United States to face fraud charges.

Canada condemns, in the strongest possible terms, Mr. Spavor's unjust conviction after more than two and a half years of arbitrary detention," said Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau. This decision was made after a process that lacked both fairness and transparency, including a trial that did not satisfy the minimum standards required by international law."

Garneau also condemned China's decision Monday to uphold the death penalty sentence of Robert Schellenberg. Schellenberg had been convicted on drug-trafficking charges in mid-January of 2019.

The lack of transparency in the legal process and the inconsistent consular access are alarming. The timing and the swift manner in which a retrial was ordered, as well as a much harsher sentence delivered, speaks clearly to the arbitrary nature of the death penalty issued in this case," Garneau said.

Garneau said Canada would continue to work, along with the U.S. government, to secure the release of all three Canadians, but would not elaborate as to what possible actions the country might take against China.

Asked if those negotiations might include the exchange of Meng for the Canadians, he again refused to go into details.

Canada remains determined to end the practice of arbitrary detention in state-to-state relations. Doing this to compel action or to exercise leverage over a foreign government is contrary to international law. It undermines international relations and has a negative impact on foreign nationals travelling, working or living abroad," he said.

Spavor and Michael Kovrig were arrested days apart in China in 2018, shortly after Canadian authorities arrested Meng at Vancouver International Airport at the request of the U.S. The two Michaels" have been in Chinese detention ever since, facing espionage charges.

Spavor was tried in March, but neither reporters nor Canadian officials were allowed to watch the proceedings. Ten diplomats representing eight countries arrived at the courthouse in a show of support for Spavor at the time of the trial.

China's conviction and sentencing of Michael Spavor is absolutely unacceptable and unjust," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a statement released Wednesday.

For Mr. Spavor, as well as for Michael Kovrig, who has also been arbitrarily detained, our top priority remains securing their immediate release. We will continue working around the clock to bring them home as soon as possible.

We will not rest until they are safely brought home."

Speaking to reporters after the sentencing on what was Wednesday morning in Dandong City, Canadian Ambassador Dominic Barton said Canada continues to negotiate with China on the release of the two Michaels, and that he doesn't think it's a coincidence the sentencing came at the same time Meng is facing an extradition trial in Vancouver.

Barton said he considered the Spavor verdict to mean 11 years in prison in China, followed by deportation. But the provision does leave an opening to argue that Spavor should come home earlier in his appeal.

Spavor has 10 days to appeal the verdict.

With files from Alex McKeen

Steve McKinley is a Halifax-based reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @smckinley1