{"id":227034,"date":"2021-04-14T22:51:53","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T19:51:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/at-michael-kovrigs-trial-the-world-had-canadas-back\/"},"modified":"2021-04-14T22:51:53","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T19:51:53","slug":"at-michael-kovrigs-trial-the-world-had-canadas-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-michael-kovrigs-trial-the-world-had-canadas-back\/","title":{"rendered":"#At Michael Kovrig&#8217;s trial, the world had Canada&#8217;s back"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25daeb86c86\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25daeb86c86\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-michael-kovrigs-trial-the-world-had-canadas-back\/#The_justice_league\" >The justice league<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-michael-kovrigs-trial-the-world-had-canadas-back\/#Spain\" >Spain<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-michael-kovrigs-trial-the-world-had-canadas-back\/#The_United_Kingdom\" >The United Kingdom<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-michael-kovrigs-trial-the-world-had-canadas-back\/#Switzerland\" >Switzerland<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-michael-kovrigs-trial-the-world-had-canadas-back\/#Germany\" >Germany<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-michael-kovrigs-trial-the-world-had-canadas-back\/#The_United_States\" >The United States<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-michael-kovrigs-trial-the-world-had-canadas-back\/#Australia\" >Australia<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-michael-kovrigs-trial-the-world-had-canadas-back\/#New_Zealand\" >New Zealand<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/at-michael-kovrigs-trial-the-world-had-canadas-back\/#The_Netherlands\" >The Netherlands<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#At Michael Kovrig&#8217;s trial, the world had Canada&#8217;s back<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                            Outside the courthouse in Beijing, a phalanx of foreign diplomats took a silent stand for the Canadian who faces almost certain conviction\n                        <\/div>\n<div>\n                                                                        On March 22, a small army of diplomats stood in protest outside the courthouse in Beijing, China, where Michael Kovrig\u2014one of the \u201ctwo Michaels\u201d\u2014was being tried. Representatives came from the embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. (Some are pictured here; many others were not caught on camera.)<\/p>\n<p>It was a symbolic gesture. Everyone knew the trial wasn\u2019t legitimate; nobody expected they\u2019d be invited inside. China\u2019s conviction rate is 99.9 per cent, and closed trials are common, especially for detained foreigners. Kevin Garratt, a Canadian who lived in China for 30 years before being arbitrarily detained and put on trial, told <em>Maclean\u2019s<\/em> his trial involved three judges, two prosecutors, an interpreter, a camera operator and his attorney, with whom he wasn\u2019t allowed to speak. \u201cIt was very confusing, what I could and couldn\u2019t do,\u201d Garratt said. \u201cMostly I couldn\u2019t do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>READ MORE: Inside the fight to bring the \u2018two Michaels\u2019 home<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Nonetheless, Canada couldn\u2019t let Kovrig\u2014or Michael Spavor, tried days earlier\u2014stand trial without a protest. That so many nations showed up was a promising, if muted, show of support. Some diplomats, standing outside the courthouse, refused to identify themselves or speak to the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was easy for them to show up,\u201d says Guy Saint-Jacques, a former Canadian ambassador to China. In diplomacy, written statements are more powerful than silent protests. Besides, \u201cwe have to be realistic about how much international support we can rally,\u201d he adds. \u201cIf countries are asked to choose between Canada and China, China is a lot more influential.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_justice_league\"><\/span><strong>The justice league<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Spain\"><\/span>Spain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Spain has been stubbornly neutral on China in several controversial areas and Spain\u2019s largest telecom has invited Huawei to help build its 5G network\u2014although it has regretted that decision in the last couple years. Luis Melgar Valero, the Spanish embassy\u2019s first secretary, represented his country at Kovrig\u2019s trial, though he and his embassy declined to comment for this story.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_United_Kingdom\"><\/span>The United Kingdom<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The U.K. has been an outspoken critic of China\u2019s human rights abuses and a strong ally of Canada\u2019s, joining Canada, the U.S. and the EU in laying down sanctions in March against Chinese officials responsible for Uighur persecution. \u201cThe U.K. stands with Canada,\u201d Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab wrote on the day of Kovrig\u2019s trial. \u201cWe call on China to respect the rule of law, uphold its international obligations, and allow consular access under the Vienna Convention.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Switzerland\"><\/span>Switzerland<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Christoph Carpenter, a Swiss political counsellor, showed up for Kovrig\u2019s trial, though he isn\u2019t visible in the above image. In March, Switzerland unveiled its first foreign policy strategy dedicated to dealing with China, a businesslike <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach that focused on human rights and trade. The Swiss department of foreign affairs tweeted out a statement on the day of Kovrig\u2019s trial that urged China to guarantee \u201cfair and transparent trials.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Germany\"><\/span>Germany<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Germany actively supported democratic activists in Hong Kong and published a private request by the Chinese government to praise its handling of the coronavirus\u2014a request that Germany ignored. B\u00e4rbel Kofler, the country\u2019s commissioner for human rights policy and humanitarian assistance, has said of the two Michaels, \u201cI believe that their detentions are arbitrary and that they should be released immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_United_States\"><\/span>The United States<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The U.S. has been vocal on the two Michaels. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have both said that \u201chuman beings are not bartering chips,\u201d referring to the two Michaels\u2019 detention as revenge for Canada arresting Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. William Klein, the acting deputy chief of mission of the U.S. embassy in China, told reporters outside the Beijing courtroom that \u201cthe United States will treat these two individuals as if they were American citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Australia\"><\/span>Australia<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The nation has demanded answers to the origins of COVID-19 and dismissed China\u2019s aggressive claims to the South China Sea. Yet Australia has avoided loudly backing Canada on the two Michaels. In December 2018, Australian experts in Chinese affairs wrote to Foreign Minister Marise Payne, urging her to call for the Canadians\u2019 release. In response, Payne said her government was \u201cconcerned\u201d about the situation. An Australian political officer showed up to both Michaels\u2019 trials, but the country\u2019s high commission did not identify him to <em>Maclean\u2019s<\/em>, instead emailing a statement calling for \u201ctransparent and fair\u201d trials for the two Michaels.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"New_Zealand\"><\/span>New Zealand<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has shifted her government away from Chinese reliance after evidence came to light of Chinese Communist Party interference in political parties, universities and local governments. In a statement to <em>Maclean\u2019s<\/em>, New Zealand said its presence outside Kovrig\u2019s trial was \u201cconsistent with New Zealand\u2019s strong interest in the principles at stake in this case.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Netherlands\"><\/span>The Netherlands<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Two Dutch representatives showed up: Marcel van den Bogaard, head of the embassy\u2019s political department, and Gabriella Ramdhan, the department\u2019s second secretary. \u201cWe call on the authorities to ensure a fair and public hearing and to ensure their right to legal counsel and consular access,\u201d Laura van Megen, a media and political policy officer at the embassy, told <em>Maclean\u2019s<\/em> in an email. \u201cWe call upon the authorities to act in a fair, unbiased and transparent manner, in compliance with rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>This article appears in print in the May 2021 issue of<\/em> Maclean\u2019s <em>magazine with the headline, \u201cWhen the world had Canada\u2019s back.\u201d Subscribe to the monthly print magazine <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/secure.macleans.ca\/loc\/MME\/head_subscribe\">here<\/a>.<\/em><br \/>\n<span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&#038;version=v10.0\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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