'We're gonna get you home': Michael Kovrig's former bandmates strike a chord for his freedom
Share
TORONTO -
A musical campaign for former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig’s release from a Chinese prison is gaining support.
Long before Kovrig went into the diplomatic service, he was the frontman for the Budapest-based band named Bankrupt, who recently released a song called "The Plane to Toronto" to raise awareness about his plight.
“We wanted to capture this moment when he’s finally free and heading home to Toronto on the plane,” Balazs Sarkadi, the band’s singer and bass player, told CTV News on Wednesday.
Kovrig was arrested in China along with Canadian Michael Spavor in December 2018. Both men were charged with espionage and put on trial this year.
Concerned about the potential outcome of the trial and his years of imprisonment, the band wants to try and garner more support to help get Kovrig released by crowdsourcing a video to go with the song.
“We really wanted some positive sense and positive energy to get people to show some solidarity towards him,” Sarkadi said.
“Hold on, please, we’re gonna get you home,” he sings in the catchy pop song. “It’s been a long time, but you’ve never been alone. You’ve gotta know bad times won’t last forever. In no time, I know, you’ll be on the plane to Toronto.”
Response to the song has been good, Sarkadi said Thursday. And the band hopes to release the video in the coming weeks.
Sept. 4 will mark the 1,000-day anniversary of Kovrig’s imprisonment.
His arrest came shortly after Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Shenzhen, China-based Huawei, was detained in Vancouver on a U.S. Justice Department request in December 2018.
Meng is wanted on allegations that she misled The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) about Huawei's relationship with another company, putting the bank at risk of violating American sanctions against Iran. The final weeks of the U.S. extradition hearings are now underway in Vancouver. Huawei and Meng, who is free to move about while under house arrest in her mansion in the city, deny any wrongdoing.
In the meantime, Kovrig, who faces a possible life sentence, remains in prison.
Sarkadi said he was shocked when he found out Kovrig, who played with the band from 1996 to 1999, was arrested.
The friends kept in touch over the years while Kovrig studied, became a diplomat and then went on to work with the International Crisis Group, with whom he was working when he was arrested in Beijing.
In fact, Kovrig visited Budapest in 2017, and even joined his former bandmates on stage for a song.
“It was a very nice reunion,” Sarkadi said. “He’s a really cool guy, doing everyday stuff.”
But Sarkadi misses his friend and wants people to try and encourage the government to help Kovrig.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau was not available to comment on the matter on Thursday.
Grantly Franklin, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said the release of Kovrig and Spavor remains a priority.
“We have always been very clear that Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor are being unjustly and arbitrarily detained,” Franklin said. “We continue to call on China to immediately release both men. Canada continues to provide consular support to Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor and their families during this unacceptable ordeal.”
Vina Nadjibulla, Kovrig’s wife, said she’s grateful for the band’s initiative.
“Michael loves music,” she said. “It's been a big part of his life and he continues to rely on song lyrics as part of his resilience routine even now.
“But as important as solidarity efforts are, our main focus must remain on actions that will lead to his liberation and calling on the Canadian government, in particular, to do everything possible to bring him home.”
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
For decades, police across the United States have been warned that the common tactic of handcuffing someone facedown could turn deadly if officers pin them on the ground with too much pressure or for too long.
With thousands evacuating Fort Nelson due to a wildfire encroaching on the town, nearby communities are opening their doors to those who’ve had their lives turned upside down in a matter of moments.
In the first of a three-part series on Gardiner Gridlock, CTV Toronto examines the impact that the three-year cut to capacity on the downtown expressway is having on commuters – and their outcry.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will ask the province’s police watchdog to investigate how officers forcibly cleared out two pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses.
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.
Six Ottawa restaurants are on the list of Canada's 100 Best Restaurants. The annual list of Canada's 100 Best Restaurants was released Monday evening, with Montreal wine bar Mon Lapin named the top restaurant for the second straight year.
Two Montreal businesses are apologizing after a video circulating on social media showed a man throwing water on a homeless person sleeping outside of a Chinatown storefront.
Pro-Palestinian protesters at McGill University have become 'occupiers' living in a fortified and barricaded mini-village, a lawyer for the Montreal school argued on Monday as he asked for an injunction to dismantle the more than two-week-old encampment on its downtown campus.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will ask the province’s police watchdog to investigate how officers forcibly cleared out two pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses.
A woman whose 81-year-old father recently spent three weeks receiving care in an Edmonton hospital hallway is joining the Alberta NDP to call for better care, including more health-care workers, and a south Edmonton hospital.
TLC fans looking forward to their concert in Moncton, N.B., on Tuesday will be disappointed to find out that the show has been cancelled due to illness.
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
The Regina Police Service (RPS) is asking drivers and pedestrians to avoid 7th Avenue between Retallack Street and Cameron Street as an investigation is underway.
In a growing city it’s no surprise when suburban residents come across wild animals around their yards, but one Saskatoon homeowner in Kensington started poking around for answers when she spotted a quilled critter hanging out in her garage.
In a growing city it’s no surprise when suburban residents come across wild animals around their yards, but one Saskatoon homeowner in Kensington started poking around for answers when she spotted a quilled critter hanging out in her garage.
The end of the school year and a looming fall election are putting additional pressure on the province to strike a deal with Saskatchewan teachers, according to two political scientists.
A 29-year-old Timmins man is charged with impaired driving in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 144 near Greater Sudbury that sent two children to hospital by air ambulance Saturday.
Councillors offered an unvarnished glimpse into what it’s like to represent their constituents at city hall during a meeting of the Governance Working Group (GWG). The deputy mayor said rather than part-time or full-time his job is 'all the time.'
Days after a vehicle was set on fire in a south London neighbourhood, London police are requesting the public’s assistance in identifying a suspicious vehicle seen in the area shortly before the vehicle was found on fire.
After a marathon, six-hour meeting on the Downtown Windsor Revitalization Plan, council and the mayor voted in favour of increasing taxes to support the core.
A Pro-Palestinian supporter is in for the long haul at the University of Windsor’s Liberation Zone. 'I'm here for as long as it takes,' the supporter said.
A wildfire burning dangerously close to Fort Nelson, B.C., has grown to more than 50 square kilometres, and officials are warning that the blaze's behaviour is expected to become more volatile over the next 48 hours.
After four targeted shootings in four days, Mounties in Kamloops are taking the unusual step of warning the public about two men they believe are likely to be targeted in future violent incidents.
Some Lethbridge charities are having a hard time staffing volunteers, saying the number of people willing to donate their time to non-profits over the years has decreased.
A 22-year-old man from the Greater Toronto Area is facing drug trafficking charges after police in northwestern Ontario seized $700,000 in drugs during raid.
Ontario Provincial Police are facing tough questions about their search for a missing Newfoundland trucker whose rig was found two weeks ago in Ontario, then sent back to Newfoundland, where his body was found Monday in the trailer.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The foreign minister of the Philippines wants closer business and military ties with Canada, saying the two countries can help maintain the post-war order in the Indo-Pacific by maintaining peaceful relations with both the U.S. and China.
Artificial intelligence will have an impact on the Canadian labour force, a parliamentary committee recently heard, and MPs are suggesting ways the federal government can better prepare.
As his criminal trial got underway Monday, 'Freedom Convoy' organizer Pat King pleaded not guilty to a list of nine charges related to the major protest that paralyzed downtown Ottawa in 2022.
TLC fans looking forward to their concert in Moncton, N.B., on Tuesday will be disappointed to find out that the show has been cancelled due to illness.
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.
The Federal Court of Appeal says work on a massive rail-and-truck hub in the Greater Toronto Area can go ahead — for the time being, as the future of the facility remains in limbo.
The 148th Westminster show kicked off Saturday, and Monday marked the start of the traditional judging that leads to the best in show prize, to be awarded Tuesday night.
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
When it comes to gardening, a lot of questions come up, including the best way to keep pets away from plants, maintaining your lawn and keeping the dandelions at bay.
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Stuart Skinner, the Oilers' starting goalie all season and for each of their eight post-season games this year, allowed all four goals scored against his team Sunday night, some of them arguably his fault.
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, preparing for his first professional fight since 2005, warned YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on Monday that his life will be on the line during their July 20 bout.
Amazon's self-driving robotaxi unit is being investigated by the U.S. government's highway safety agency after two of its vehicles braked suddenly and were rear-ended by motorcyclists.