China frees Canadians after Huawei boss released » BBC News
A diplomatic row between China and the West appears to be ending, after the release of two Canadians held in China and a Chinese tech executive in Canada. Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, arrested on a US warrant in 2018, left Canada on Friday in a deal with US prosecutors. Hours later it was announced that Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, accused of espionage by China in the same year, were flying home to Canada. Beijing denies detaining the Canadians in retaliation for Ms Meng’s arrest. But critics have accused China of using them as political bargaining chips. The two men had maintained their innocence throughout.
China, Canada free detainees after Huawei exec deal with US » DW News
Two Canadians and a top Chinese executive are on their way home after a deal with US authorities put an end to a three year diplomatic spat. Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of China’s Huawei telecoms giant, was arrested in Canada in 2018 on US charges of violating sanctions. Weeks later Beijing detained two Canadian citizens in China in what was seen as an act of retaliation. The detentions had strained relations between the world’s two superpowers. Now a federal judge in New York has accepted a deal between US-prosecutors and Meng. Under the deal, Meng admitted to some wrongdoing. Prosecutors agreed in return to drop charges against her next year, provided she complies with certain rules. The case has also been a source of friction between China and Canada, where Meng has been detained and fighting US-extradition since her 2018 arrest. The deal included an acknowledgment by Meng that she mislead a bank about the company’s operations in Iran that were in violation of US-sanctions. The agreement paves the way for her to be released from home-detention in Canada and return to China. But it doesn’t drop the US-case against Huawei itself, which includes charges related to intellectual-property theft.
China releases two Canadians held since 2018 as Huawei executive freed in Canada » FRANCE 24
Two Canadians detained in China on spying charges were released from prison and flown out of the country on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday, hours after a top executive of Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies resolved criminal charges against her in a deal with the U.S. Justice Department.
Two Canadians released from China prison hours after Huawei executive resolves US charges » ABC News (Australia)
Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested in China in December 2018, shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer and the daughter of the company’s founder, on a US extradition request.
TV5
La Chine a toujours réfuté mener une diplomatie des otages. Pourtant, la libération de Meng Wanzhou détenue au Canada a provoqué dans la foulée la libération des deux Canadiens Michael Spavor et Michael Kovrig qui étaient détenus depuis 3 ans en Chine. La fin d’un feuilleton judiciaire déclenchée par la décision des Etats-Unis de mettre un terme aux poursuites contre la fille du fondateur de Huawei.
Switzerland 🇨🇭 welcomes the release of the Canadian 🇨🇦 citizens Michael Spavor and @CrisisGroup employee Michael Kovrig from #ArbitraryDetention in China. @CanSwitzerland @CanadaFP
— Swiss MFA (@SwissMFA) September 25, 2021
At last! After more than 1000 days of arbitrary detention, #MichaelKovrig and #MichaelSpavor are finally reunited with their families. Welcome back!#Lithuania 🇱🇹 has always stood in solidarity and supported #Canada 🇨🇦 in its rightful quest for justice and the rule of law.
— Lithuania MFA (@LithuaniaMFA) September 26, 2021