By Lucinda Grade 10

On the 1st of December 2018, Huawei executive, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested in Canada after receiving a request from the U.S for his detainment (“Extradition Case”). 9 days later on the 10th of December, Michael Krovig, a Canadian diplomat, and his partner, were detained by Chinese law enforcement with espionage allegations; the Chinese government suspected he was spying on private matters. It is believed that Krovig’s detainment was in retaliation for Meng’s arrest. 

While acting as the Canadian diplomat in China, Kovrig used his free time to visit his girlfriend, who was six months pregnant. After an evening out together they weren returning home, when suddenly Kovrig was attacked and thrown in the back of a black SUV. His girlfriend was left standing on the pavement watching this happen, not knowing what had happened or when she would see Kovrig again. In an interview with CNN, Kovrig said, “We came up a spiral staircase right in front of the plaza in front of my apartment building, and boom. There’s a dozen men in black with cameras on them surrounding us, shouting in Chinese, ‘That’s him.’” (“Michael Kovrig”).

For 1,019 days Kovrig was held captive in Chinese detention facilities. Upon his return, Kovrig explained that for the first five months of his detainment he was kept in solitary confinement in a dark room. The UN states that any time put in solitary confinement for over 15 days is classified as torture. Solitary confinement for this extended period of time would normally be prohibited. 

On his first day of detention, Kovrig was informed that he had been detained because of suspicion that he was endangering the Chinese state’s security. There was no evidence to support this claim, and Kovrig had no knowledge of espionage, concerning himself or Michael Spavor, a Canadian consultant detained under the same charges. 

During Kovrig and Spavor’s three years in detainment, China used them as a bargaining chip to have Meng returned to China. When in captivity, neither understood the importance of this political action. Kovrig told the press, that “‘Gradually, over time, I was able to kind of piece together the bread crumbs and figure out that this was quite a big deal and very public’” (Ha). 

On September 24, 2021, an agreement was made with the US Department of Justice which led to the deferral of Meng’s prosecution. Hours after this news, it was announced that China was releasing both Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. 

Upon returning to Canada, Kovrig reconnected with his separated wife, and his daughter who had been born during his captivity. Three years later, Kovrig has finally spoken out about his experience.

Works Cited

“Extradition Case of Meng Wanzhou.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Sept. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extradition_case_of_Meng_Wanzhou#:~:text=Detention-,Arrest%20and%20allegations,Canada%20and%20the%20United%20States.

Ha, Stephanie. “‘They’re never going to see me cry’: Michael Kovrig shares experience of more than 1,000 days in Chinese detainment.” Canada News, 24 Sept. 2024, http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/they-re-never-going-to-see-me-cry-michael-kovrig-shares-experience-of-more-than-1-000-days-in-chinese-detainment-1.7049032. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.

“Michael Kovrig: Canadian Held for More than 1,000 Days Describes ‘psychological’ Torture in Chinese Detention | CNN.” CNN, 24 Sept. 2024, edition.cnn.com/2024/09/24/china/michael-kovrig-china-canada-intl-hnk/index.html.