It’s ironic that Human Rights Day this week fell on the anniversary of the day that two Canadians were jailed in China a year ago on vague security charges.
Nobody believes either Michael Kovrig or Michael Spavor has done anything wrong. But the two men became political pawns in a game in which both Canada and its citizens are caught between the warring superpowers of China and the U.S.
The two Canadians were arrested just days after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was detained in Vancouver at the request of the U.S., which wants to extradite her. The arrest of the two men has largely been seen as tit for tat.
There the similarities end. While on bail, Meng has been allowed to live in her multimillion-dollar Shaughnessy mansion and recently blogged about spending her time reading and oil painting.
The two Canadians have been denied access to lawyers and family, and have had very little contact with the outside world. One of them has had his glasses taken – oil paintings and reading are very clearly not on the agenda.
In the background are other issues like whether Canada should allow Huawei’s 5G network into the country. Security experts tell us there are reasons to be concerned.
In the meantime, Meng has enjoyed all the benefits that the rule of law in a democratic country offers – standards that China does not subscribe to and certainly has not offered the jailed Canadians.
It’s hard to know what’s happening behind the scenes, if anything. Often such work isn’t helped by a public spotlight.
For now, the two Canadians remain collateral damage in an ongoing trade and political battle. They are out of sight, but they are not forgotten.
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.
