TORONTO -- Canadian consular officials have been granted virtual access to Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor for the first time since their trials began in China in mid-March, Global Affairs Canada says.
In a news release, Global Affairs Canada stated that on March 30, officials, led by deputy head of mission at the Canadian embassy in Beijing Jim Nickel, were granted “on-site virtual consular access” to Kovrig, and on March 31 to Spavor.
Due to provisions of the Privacy Act, no other information was disclosed in the release.
Both men are accused of espionage by the Chinese government and have been detained since Dec. 10, 2018.
The arrests of Kovrig and Spavor are widely seen as retaliation for the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, nine days earlier in Vancouver, B.C. at the request of the U.S.
“The Canadian government remains deeply concerned by the arbitrary detention by Chinese Authorities of these two Canadians since December 2018 and continues to call for their release,” the release states.
