It can’t come as a surprise to anyone that the family of Michael Kovrig is making every possible effort to free him from the brutish hands of the Chinese government.
Kovrig has been locked away in a Chinese jail for more than 500 days. The case against him is plainly political, an attempt by Beijing’s one-party state to gain the release of Meng Wanzhou, a well-connected corporate executive who faces extradition to the U.S. on allegations of fraud. Meng has luxuriated in a Vancouver mansion while Kovrig is held in a tiny cell and subjected to repeated interrogations on spurious accusations invented as an excuse to extend the state-imposed abuse. On Friday Beijing indicated it would bring formal charges of espionage against Kovrig and fellow Canadian Michael Spavor. Given the crooked nature of the Chinese justice system, the chances of acquittal barely exist.
Kovrig’s family has responded by pleading with Ottawa to gain his freedom, even if it means conceding to the extortion practiced by Beijing. Vina Nadjibulla, who is separated from Kovrig but who has fought for his release, argued in interviews that the federal government has the ability to obtain his freedom. All it has to do is drop the case against Meng. Bennett Kovrig, Michael’s father, charged that failure to do so “is tantamount to a historic betrayal.” The family has gained an opinion from a prominent lawyer attesting that it is, indeed, within the power of the government to give in to China’s demands. A new pair of voices has been added to an existing cabal of once-prominent Liberals to argue that China should have its way: Allan Rock and Louise Arbour, one a former justice minister, the other a former supreme court justice, attest that, yes, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is fully empowered to back down in the face of Chinese pressure.
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See Also:
(1) Social media, cancel culture and Maoist shaming circles
(2) Another freakout by Quebec nationalists over racism proves better times are ahead
(3) Dump China: Time to End Beijing’s Pernicious Tech Empire
