China has announced trials for two men at the heart of a bitter feud with Canada, raising the stakes in the case ahead of a crucial meeting between top diplomats from Beijing and Washington.
Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig will face their first court hearings on Friday and Monday, respectively, Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said Wednesday in an emailed statement. Canadian officials have requested to attend. "We believe these detentions are arbitrary, and remain deeply troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding these proceedings,” Garneau said.
Kovrig was charged in June with spying on state secrets, while Spavor was accused of stealing and illegally providing state secrets to other countries. Those convicted of serious violations of the section of law cited by Chinese authorities face sentences of between 10 years and life in prison.
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