By: Thomas I. Likness
EBC News Service

(Eagle News) — An angry Prime Minister Trudeau condemned the secret trials of two Canadian businessmen detained in China on charges of spying.

“Their arbitrary detention is completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency around these court proceedings. Our top priority remains securing their release,” Trudeau said Friday. “We will continue to work tirelessly to bring them home as soon as possible.”

Michael Spavor’s trial ended Friday, two hours after it began. No verdict was announced. Michael Korvig will go on trial Monday.

Trudeau says it is impossible to say whether the two men will be treated fairly by the Chinese jusicial system.

“One of the challenges around the lack of transparency on that process is it becomes extremely difficult to make judgments around whether or not the trial was fair,” he said.

Chinese authorities detained the pair in December 2018.

It is believed to be in retaliation for the arrest in Canada of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou/

Trudeau thanked Canada’s allies for their support in trying to secure the release of Korvig and Spavor.

“China needs to understand that it is not just about two Canadians,” he said. “It is about the 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.”

The two Canadian men have had almost no contact with the outside world since their detention.

Virtual consular visits only resumed in October after a nine-month hiatus that authorities said was due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meng, meanwhile, remains under house arrest at her Vancouver mansion. Her hearing is expected to wrap up mid-May, barring appeals.
(Eagle News Service)