Two Canadians held in China to have court hearings this month

Canadian foreign minister decries ‘arbitrary’ detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, held for over two years.

Two Canadians imprisoned in China for more than two years on spying allegations will have court hearings later this week, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs said on Wednesday. “Our embassy in Beijing has been notified that court hearings for Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are scheduled to take place on March 19 and March 22, respectively,” Marc Garneau said in a statement. Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Spavor, a businessman, were detained in December 2018 after Canadian authorities arrested top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on an extradition request by the United States.