Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli calls for Palestinian displacement, backs Egypt's stance    Health minister and Syrian communications minister discuss enhancing digital health cooperation    Saudi Arabia, France sign cultural cooperation program at Versailles    Executive regulations to define exceptions to deportation under amended traffic law    Saudi Arabia's digital sector grows to 389,000 workers with record female participation    Riyadh Metro adjusts start time to 5:30 AM to serve commuters and students    Saudi Red Crescent to implement first aid in secondary schools    Putin rejects Western security in Ukraine, warns foregin troops would be legitimate targets    Two Venezuelan military aircraft flew near US Navy vessel, Pentagon says    Thailand names its third prime minister in two years    Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. set to meet in exhibition boxing match in 2026    Gamers frustrated as Hollow Knight: Silksong crashes stores on launch    'My mother was my shelter and storm': Arundhati Roy on her fierce new memoir    Al-Falih: Saudi Arabia expected to host over 1,000 RHQs for global companies in a few years    HONOR to participate in Global Symposium for Regulators 2025 in Saudi Arabia    Restored Big Ben tower up for architecture award    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series laptops redefine learning, creating and gaming    Al Ahli secure Flamengo starlet Matheus Gonçalves in long-term deal through 2027    Al Hilal sign Turkish defender Yusuf Akcicek on €22m deal until 2029    Al Qadsiah sign German midfielder Julian Weigl to strengthen defensive midfield    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Canadian accused of spying sentenced to 11 years in prison in China
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 11 - 08 - 2021

A Chinese court has sentenced a Canadian, accused of spying, to 11 years in prison, in a case linked to Beijing's pressure campaign against the Canadian government over the arrest of an executive at tech giant Huawei.
Entrepreneur Michael Spavor was sentenced on Wednesday, and is one of a number of Canadians detained in China in what critics say is "hostage politics" after the Huawei executive's arrest in 2018.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the "totally unacceptable and unfair" conviction.
"Today's verdict for Spavor comes after more than two and a half years of arbitrary detention, a lack of transparency in the judicial process and a trial that failed to meet even the minimum standards required by international law," he said in a statement.
A Canadian court will hear final arguments in the next few weeks over whether to hand over the executive, Meng Wanzhou, to face US criminal charges in connection with possible violations of trade sanctions on Iran.
On Tuesday, another Chinese court rejected the appeal of a third Canadian whose prison term in a drug case was abruptly increased to death following Meng's arrest.
Canadian Ambassador Dominic Barton attended Spavor's hearing in the city of Dandong, about 210 miles (340 kilometers) east of Beijing on the North Korean border.
No word has been given about a trial date for former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, who was also detained in December 2018 and charged with spying.
Meng, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Ltd. and daughter of the company's founder, was arrested De. 1, 2018, in Vancouver on US charges of lying to the Hong Kong arm of the British bank HSBC about possible dealings with Iran in violation of trade sanctions.
Meng's lawyers argue the case is politically motivated and what she is accused of isn't a crime in Canada. China's government has criticized the arrest as part of US efforts to hamper its technology development.
Huawei, a maker of network equipment and smartphones, is China's first global tech brand and is at the center of US-Chinese tension over technology and the security of information systems.
Beijing has repeatedly demanded Meng's immediate release. While denying a direct connection between her case and the arrests of Spavor and Kovrig, Chinese officials and state media frequently mention the two men's fates in relation to whether or not Meng is allowed to return to China.
At the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, Deputy Head of Mission Jim Nickel told reporters the timing of the detentions of Spavor and Kovrig and "consistent communications" from the Chinese government "linking them to Meng" makes clear they were "arbitrarily detained for the purpose of political leverage."
Spavor was based in China but had extensive links with North Korea in tourism and other commercial ventures that brought him into contact with the isolated communist state's leadership.
Nickel said the Canadian government had complained to China that Spavor's trial "failed to meet basic standards" of fairness and defendants' rights.
On Tuesday, a court in Liaoning province in the northeast rejected an appeal by Robert Schellenberg, whose 15-year prison term on charges of smuggling methamphetamine was increased to death in January 2019 following Meng's arrest. The death sentence has been automatically appealed to China's Supreme Court.
Barton said earlier, "I don't think it's a coincidence these are happening right now while events are going on in Vancouver," referring to the hearings on whether to extradite Meng to the US.
The Huawei case is one of a series of conflicts between Beijing and other governments over China's technology ambitions, human rights in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet and territorial claims in the South China and East China Seas.
China has tried to pressure Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government by imposing restrictions on imports of canola seed oil and other products from Canada. — Euronews


Clic here to read the story from its source.