Supporters of detained Canadians in China mark 1,000th day

As two Canadians mark 1,000 days in separate Chinese prisons, their supporters are marching Ottawa to push for their freedom

OTTAWA, Ontario -- As two Canadians mark 1,000 days in separate Chinese prisons, their supporters are marching Ottawa to push for their freedom. Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained in in China in what critics labeled “hostage politics” after Canada arrested the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei in 2018 on a U.S. extradition request. The arrest of Meng Wanzhou infuriated Beijing, which sees her case as a political move designed to prevent China’s rise. The U.S. accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company called Skycom to sell equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. Kovrig, a Canadian diplomat on leave to an international organization, and Spavor, an entrepreneur, were arrested in apparent retaliation. Both have since been convicted of spying in closed Chinese courts — a process that Canada and dozens of allies say amounts to arbitrary detention.