Sept 25,2021:Two Canadian citizens who were detained by Beijing for almost three years have left Chinese airspace and will arrive back in Canada early on Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were picked up in December 2018 on charges of espionage, shortly after Canadian authorities arrested Huawei Technologies Co Ltd Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou on a US warrant.
Shortly before Trudeau spoke, Canadian media reported that Meng flew back to China after reaching a deal with US authorities.
Both Kovrig and Spavor were put on trial in March of this year.
In August, Spavor was sentenced to 11 years in prison, while there had been no decision in Kovrig’s case.
Their families at the beginning of September led hundreds of supporters marching 7,000 steps through the Canadian capital – the same number Kovrig said in letters to his family he walked in his small cell every day – to bring attention to their detention.
Representatives of 26 countries had also gathered outside the building in Beijing where his closed-door trial was held in March.
