Speak up for detained men
Meng Wanzhou wants us know she’s grateful for how she’s been treated in Canada.
On the first anniversary of her arrest at the request of U.S. authorities seeking her extradition, she released a letter describing her life in Vancouver and saying she appreciates “the kindness of people here in Canada.”
Being under house arrest in a $13-million Vancouver mansion, it turns out, has its advantages.
As CFO of Huawei Technologies, Meng says, she was rushed off her feet. Now, “I have enough time to read a book from cover to cover. I can take the time to discuss minutiae with my colleagues or to carefully complete an oil painting.” She’s also free to move around the city in her chic designer duds.
Sounds rather pleasant. But imagine, if you will, what kind of letter the two Canadians imprisoned in China in retaliation for Meng’s arrest might write should they be allow to do such a thing next week when they mark a year in captivity.
Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a consultant, were detained nine days after Meng’s arrest and face trumped-up charges of espionage.
They aren’t enjoying the comforts of their own homes. They aren’t allowed to roam around Beijing during the daytime. And we doubt they are reading many books or putting the final touches on any paintings.
Instead, they have been held for almost a year in isolation in so-called “black jails.”
There, they have been kept under 24-hour surveillance in cells that are lit around the clock. They are denied access to the outdoors and subjected repeatedly to daylong interrogations.
They have not been allowed to see lawyers or their families and visits from Canadian consular officials have been allowed only sporadically.
Even aside from the clearly arbitrary nature of their arrest and the absurd charges they face, this is disgraceful treatment. After a year of this, it’s high time that Canada, along with its allies, acted much more forcefully to demand their release.
China must learn that it cannot just arbitrarily arrest citizens of other countries without consequences.
But so far a kitten could roar more loudly than Canada and its friends have.
The only thing that can be said is that a considerable number of countries are on side, however ineffective their voices may be. They include Australia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, NATO, the EU and the G7.
As well, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have passed resolutions of support and a group of 140 former diplomats and academics signed a letter of demanding that Kovrig and Spavor be freed.
But all of that has been to no avail because their protests hold no sting.
It’s true that Canada is caught between a rock and a hard place. Any action it takes must be weighed carefully, considering what is at stake for Kovrig and Spavor. China can also retaliate against Canada’s economy, as it did by banning imports of canola and pork and beef for a time this year, costing Canadian producers many millions.
But our government’s softly-softly approach hasn’t worked. It’s clear that China doesn’t respect restraint and sees the relationship as a one-way street. Its new ambassador started his tenure here by, in effect, telling Ottawa to shut up about the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and threatening unspecified consequences if it dares to defy Beijing. In fact, Canada needs to raise its voice. To start with, the government should not shy away from speaking up about the danger to democracy and the rule of law in Hong Kong, home to some 300,000 Canadian citizens. It should also not feel restrained about criticizing Beijing over the recent revelations about human rights abuses against the Muslim Uighur minority in China’s far-western territory.
Potentially, it could go even further and target Chinese officials who have transferred their wealth to Canada under the Magnitsky Act, which allows this country to seize their assets. And if China escalates by targeting other Canadian goods, Ottawa could retaliate with trade sanctions of its own.
After all, Canada did precisely that when the United States, our neighbour and closest ally, imposed punitive tariffs on steel and aluminum. That’s how the game is played between supposed friends, let alone adversaries.
We should also not underestimate our own influence. China may publicly scoff at Canada’s efforts to gain support from its allies. But it is surely sensitive about the long-term effects of destroying trust with Europe, Japan, Australia and others.
As well, other countries might do well to consider that if they don’t kick up a fuss over the arbitrary detention and torture of Canadians, their own citizens may be next.
Canada, along with the rest of the world, now knows that it is dealing with a bully that imprisons millions of its own people in so-called re-education camps and terrorizes them even when they become citizens of other countries.
A year after the two “Michaels” were detained, a more forceful front is long overdue from both Canada and its allies.
So far, a kitten could roar more loudly than Canada and its friends have in demanding the release of two citizens in China