“These accusations are politically motivated and totally unfounded,” said Pompeo. “The United States is calling Beijing for the immediate release of the two men, and it refuses to use these unjust arrests to force Canada.”
US prosecutors are requesting that Meng be prosecuted for several charges, including bank fraud and violations of the US sanctions against Iran.
At the end of last month, a Canadian judge ruled that extradition cases could continue in what China’s country representatives called a “serious political event”.
In a few weeks, new accusations were filed against a former Canadian diplomat and NGO employee Kovrig and Spavor, who founded the North Korean tourism company.
China’s legal system belongs to the ruling Communist Party and is known for its extremely high conviction rate.
On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the evidence against the two Canadians was “solid” and “facts clear”.
Zhao reported that the visits were suspended due to a coronavirus pandemic, saying that the two men were denied access to consular assistance.
“In both cases, they receive consular visits once a month for exactly 30 minutes, where somebody watches the whole discussion.” “These mainly serve to give them news about their families and give them books and other reading materials. They are very difficult for them, they wait, and they have no idea when and how to release them.”
Pompeo said that Washington has repeatedly called for consular access to its two citizens under the Vienna Consular Relations Convention, as China has banned such access for about six months and the world has no knowledge of these two countries. Canadians’ situation. “
“Europe faces a Chinese problem, just as the US did – just like our South American, African, Middle Eastern and Asian friends,” Pompeo said.
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