Two Michaels Return Home

Kovrig (left) and Spavor (second from right) arrive in Calgary

After over 1,000 days, the two Michaels are finally home in Canada.

It is a relief to have this saga that lasted over two years to be over.

The speed at which they were released demonstrates that, as former Canadian diplomat Colin Robertson says, it was one for the other.

Robertson says it was clearly a hostage-taking

"China... up until now, has said there's been no linkage between the two, but by putting them on the plane [Friday night], they've clearly acknowledged that this was a hostage-taking."

Lynette Ong, a China specialist at the Munk School of Global Affairs agrees.

"The timing, it's totally undeniable that the two Michaels were unjustly detained because of the arrest of Ms Meng in Vancouver."

It is believed that not only diplomats behind the scenes were working hard to secure their release, but that US President Joe Biden played a pivotal role in lobbying Chinese President Xi Jinping.

While the Canadian side is breathing a sigh of relief and grateful to Biden and its allies, China is playing up Meng's return with a hero's welcome in Shenzhen.

Meng receives hero's welcome

Wearing a red dress and no mask, she was received on the tarmac with a red carpet, and a bouquet of red roses.

"Chairman Xi cares about the safety of every Chinese citizen, and he also has my situation in his heart. I am deeply touched by this," Meng said upon her arrival.

During her flight she also released a statement thanking officials for her release and this interesting statement:

"For the past 1,028 days, I have been stumbling around, and it was difficult to choose between a thousand things; for the past 1,028 days, I have been wandering day and night, even if I had a thousand words to say; for the past 1,028 days, there have been endless mountains and rivers, and I did not know which way to return."

Let us be clear that Meng was released on bail and allowed to live in her luxurious home in Vancouver and come and go as she pleased as long as she abided by the bail conditions.

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were subjected to severe prison conditions, living over 1,000 days in tiny cells deprived of being able to speak freely to consular officials and lawyers, let alone access to sunlight and proper meals.

While this saga has finally ended happily for all involved, it does not mean it may not happen again.

Defiance, Resignation and a Sad Milestone

The alliance organized the June 4 candlelight vigil for 30 years

 

The national security police has demanded the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China hand over information about its membership, operations and finances. 

Chow (left) denies group is a foreign agent

However, this afternoon the alliance said in a press conference it would not comply with the letters demanding specifics about their activities and fundraising sources.

"We will not provide the information requested," alliance vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung said, accusing police of failing to explain why the group was being characterized as a foreign agent, and dismissing the demand for information as a "fishing expedition".

"The national security department... is setting a very bad precedent by casually labelling any civic groups as foreign agents and then asserting that they have the power to demand any information [they want]," she said.

Chow, who is also a barrister added: "[Police] did not mention any reason in the letters they gave us... Hong Kong is an international city, having foreign connections is most natural," Chow said. "If having foreign links makes you a foreign agent, everyone here is a foreign agent."

Apple Daily staff on last day, June 24, 2021

However the national security police was not pleased with the alliance's response and threatened fines and jail time for providing "false, incorrect or incomplete" information.

The Security Bureau also chimed in, saying: "The damage is serious.  Action must be taken to prevent and suppress the act," a spokesman said. "To avoid bearing the legal risk, the organization concerned should immediately turn back before it is too late."

Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong accused the alliance of having "no fear of the law".

"Since the day it was founded, the alliance included subverting state power and overthrowing the Communist Party's rule as its political goals. In the name of democracy, it has opposed China and caused trouble in Hong Kong," a spokesman said. "It didn't show any remorse for what it did in the past, and chose to resist and refuse the police's demand for information."

Directors thanked readers for their support

Meanwhile Next Digital's board of four directors will resign tonight in a bid to have "an orderly liquidation" to serve the best interests of shareholders and stakeholders including employees and readers.

In a statement released today, the directors say the invocation of the national security law affected the company and its people despite having no trials and no convictions. "Under this new law, a company can be forced into liquidation without the involvement of the courts," it says.

They hope the liquidation will enable funds be used to pay the employees who lost their jobs with Apple Daily and pay off creditors. 

Then they go on to thank numerous people, the shareholders, the businesses and service providers who placed ads despite political pressure, their journalists and staff, and the readers.

Lai currently in jail for litany of charges

"Most importantly, we thank the readers of Apple Daily. You put your trust in the work of our journalists and you understand that a free society and free markets depend on the free flow of information. 

"As Apple Daily often observed, Hong Kong people have a collective memory of what life was like elsewhere when freedom of speech was denied. No other rights are safe. In 2019 when Apple Daily launched its program of charging a subscription price for access to its website and mobile products, more than 500,000 Hong Kong people quickly subscribed out of the total population of 7.5 million -- by far the greatest penetration of digital subscribers of any news publisher in the world. 

"More than one million copies were printed of the final print issue of Apple Daily. Loyal readers reaffirmed Apple Daily's editorial commitment to Hong Kong values of the rule of law, open markets, greater democracy and individual opportunity."

The statement then adds: "We are confident that the company's founder, majority shareholder and former chairman, Jimmy Lai, would join us in these expressions of gratitude if he were able to communicate from his prison cell."

Remembering Spavor and Kovrig on 1,000th day

And speaking of prison, today marks the 1,000th day of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig behind bars in China. 

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau issued a statement saying: "Both men are being arbitrarily detained. We strongly condemn the lack of a transparent legal process.

"Years have been cruelly stolen from both men and their families. Despite this, they have shown integrity and courage throughout this terrible ordeal.

"We are inspired by their resilience as we continue to work tirelessly with our allies and international partners to do everything we can to bring them home.

He goes on to say: "Arbitrarily detaining foreign citizens is unjust and immoral. Sixty-six countries endorsed the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations earlier this year and call for an end to this practice and for the release of all individuals detained for diplomatic leverage."

The Two Michaels on Trial

Diplomats from 23 countries came out for Kovrig's trial today

 

This morning was the second of the "Two Michaels" trials -- Canadians Michael Spavor in Dandong in northeastern China, and then today Michael Kovrig in Beijing.

Diplomats from 23 countries came to the courthouse to attend the proceedings -- but were shut out on claims that it is a national security case. Kovrig was formally charged last June for allegedly spying and conspiring with businessman Spavor.

Last Friday diplomats from eight countries tried to attend Spavor's trial but were also denied entry, along with journalists in both cases.

Yang criticized the US during the Alaska talks

Both men have been held practically incommunicado since December 2018 in deplorable conditions and then were suddenly put on trial because officials from the United States were meeting with their Chinese counterparts in Alaska, the first meeting since the start of the Biden administration.

China probably hoped to gain more concessions from the US, but the two-day meeting ended in lots of verbal posturing and not much accomplished. May we add that for all of Director of of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi's attacks on the US, his daughter Alice graduated from Yale...

But back to the urgent matter at hand.

Marc Garneau, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: "We are deeply troubled by the total lack of transparency surrounding these hearings and we continue to work towards an immediate end to their arbitrary detention.

"The eyes of the world are on these cases and proceedings and I want to thank our international partners for their continued support and solidarity."

Esteemed legal scholar Jerome Cohen wrote about the Spavor trial, saying it would be ridiculed by all democratic nations.

Spavor (right) and Kovrig were suddenly on trial

While questioning why diplomats and reporters were not allowed into the courtroom, and how was the trial conducted, did Spavor have any interpretation access or were there any witnesses called to testify, Cohen asks and adds:

"Is the handling of this case designed to demonstrate that China has stood up to the world judicially in a blatant exercise of a newly empowered 'sovereignty' that rejects conventional contemporary standards? What can its leaders be thinking? Are we back to the days of Chinese-Western conflicts over Imperial China's criminal prosecutions of Western sailors at the end of the 18th century or early 19th century?"

To Cohen the whole affair is terribly archaic.

Spavor's trial ended in less than three hours and no verdict was announced, while Kovrig's spanned the whole day before a verdict would be given at a later date. 

Meanwhile China's Foreign Ministry criticized the gathering of diplomats outside the courthouse. 

"Be it a few or dozens of diplomats trying to gather and exert pressure, it is an interference in China's judicial sovereignty... and not something that a diplomat should do," said foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.

Guy Saint-Jacques says this is a political case

Former Canadian ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques said he expected the proceedings to be short.

"China does not even try to make this look like a real trial as evidence is not shared with the defence and the judge does not even take the time to review it," he said before Kovrig's hearing. "It just confirms that the process is preordained by the Communist party and this is a political case."

Saint-Jacques seems to be hinting the end result is not going to be good for both Michaels even though they have suffered more than enough already.

We can only hope they still have the will to keep hoping.