Detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig


The Detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig occurred in December, 2018, when the two Canadian men were taken into custody in the People's Republic of China. Their detention and subsequent indictment under the state secrets law is widely regarded as an act of retaliation against Canada for its arrest of Huawei telecoms executive Meng Wanzhou, and has been cited as an instance of "hostage diplomacy."
Following their detention in December 2018, the men were transferred to detention facilities where they were interrogated for up to eight hours a day. The lights in their cells are reportedly left on 24 hours a day, and they have been denied access to consular officials and to their lawyers. On June 19 2020, the men were formally charged with spying on national secrets and providing state secrets to entities outside of China.
Prior to his detention and arrest, Michael Kovrig was working for the International Crisis Group out of its Hong Kong office. He previously worked for the United Nations and as a Canadian diplomat. Michael Spavor had been a consultant and the director of Paektu Cultural Exchange, an organization that promotes investment and tourism in North Korea.

Background

The detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor followed the December 1, 2018 arrest Meng Wanzhou by Canadian authorities. Meng was the chief financial officer of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei, founded by her father Ren Zhengfei. She was arrested at the Vancouver International Airport by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at the request of the United States, pursuant to the extradition treaty between Canada and the United States. On January 28, 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice announced financial fraud charges against Meng. If proven guilty, Meng potentially faces up to 10 years' imprisonment per 18 U.S.C. § 1832.