China charges two Canadians with spying after Canada’s court extends Huawei CFO detention
蘋果日報 2020/06/20 08:48
China on Friday charged two Canadians with spying after holding them for more than 18 months as "hostages" in a diplomatic row with Canada over the detention of a top executive of Chinese technological giant Huawei.
The Chinese announcement came less than a month following a Canadian court’s decision to extend the detention of Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, who is fighting extradition to the United States.
One of the Canadians, former diplomat Michael Kovrig, would face trial in Beijing for suspected spying on state secrets and intelligence for overseas interests, the Supreme People's Procuratorate of China said.
Business owner Michael Spavor would be tried for suspected espionage and illegal provision of state secrets in Dandong city in the northeastern province of Liaoning, it said.
Article 110 of China's criminal law states that espionage is a criminal offence punishable by five to 10 years in jail, and at least 10 years or even a life sentence if the circumstances are considered severe. If the offence is deemed minor by the courts, the defendant will still face up to five years’ imprisonment.
China's judiciary is in essence under the control of the Communist Party of China. Defendants are all but guaranteed to be convicted once they are charged.
Article 110 of China's criminal law states that espionage is a criminal offence punishable by five to 10 years in jail, and at least 10 years or even a life sentence if the circumstances are considered severe. If the offence is deemed minor by the courts, the defendant will still face up to five years’ imprisonment.
China's judiciary is in essence under the control of the Communist Party of China. Defendants are all but guaranteed to be convicted once they are charged.
The two Canadians have been held in China since December 2018. They were arrested just days after Meng was detained in Vancouver at the request of the U.S., which accuses her of breaking sanctions against Iran. Their arrests are widely perceived as a retaliatory move for Meng’s detention.
The Canadian court ruled on May 27 that Meng’s case met the threshold of double criminality, which means charges would be crimes in both Canada and the United States. The court resumed the extradition trial on Monday and a verdict is expected around May next year.
The Canadian court ruled on May 27 that Meng’s case met the threshold of double criminality, which means charges would be crimes in both Canada and the United States. The court resumed the extradition trial on Monday and a verdict is expected around May next year.
Meng has been under house arrest in Vancouver even as Kovrig and Spavor are locked up behind bars in mainland China. In an open letter detailing her life under house arrest, Meng said she finally had time to “read a book from cover to cover” and “complete an oil painting in detail”.
-----------------------------
Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app
To know more: https://bit.ly/2yMMfQE
Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app
To know more: https://bit.ly/2yMMfQE
Apple Daily mobile app latest version DOWNLOAD NOW