The wife of one of the two Canadians that have been arbitrarily detained in Chinahas said that her husband was “relieved” to get Canadian news through a virtual diplomatic visit and was surprised to learn of the scale of the Covid pandemic.
Canada recently announced its first contact since January with Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been detained in China for almost two years.
While talking to the CBC, Kovrig’s wife, Vina Nadjibulla said after many months of “extreme isolation, Michael was highly relieved to receive news from the outside world.
“We are extremely proud that despite his long confinement, Michael’s spirit, determination and even his sense of humour remain unbroken.”
She added that her husband was shocked to learn about the scale of the coronavirus pandemic.
She said: “He was astonished to learn about the details of the Covid-19 pandemic and remarked that it all sounded like some zombie apocalypse movie.
“Of course, our focus remains on doing everything possible to bring Michael home. We are deeply grateful for the support and solidarity of all Canadians.”
In a statement, Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry said Ambassador of Canada to China, Dominic Barton obtained “virtual consular access” to Spavor and Kovrig recently.
Spavor and Kovrig have been detained in China since 10 December, 2018 in a retaliatory move following the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Chief Financial Officer of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei in Canada. They were charged with espionage in June, 2020.
Recently, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had talked with Donald Trump and praised the United States President for his unflinching efforts aimed at releasing the two Canadians.
When announcing the consular visit recently, the Canadian government repeated its deepest concern over the “arbitrary detention” of the two Canadians and requested for their urgent release.
