‘Welcome home.’ Trudeau greets Spavor, Kovrig after 3 year Chinese detention

Two Canadians who spent nearly three years detained in Chinese prisons returned safely to Canadian soil on Saturday and were due to be reunited with loved ones who had crusaded for their release.

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor landed in Calgary aboard a Canadian Forces plane early Saturday morning and were personally welcomed home by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Global Affairs Minister Marc Garneau.

Kovrig then boarded a plane for the flight home to Toronto, where he was greeted by his family just before 1 p.m. ET.

Welcome home, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. You’ve shown incredible strength, resilience, and perseverance. Know that Canadians across the country will continue to be here for you, just as they have been. pic.twitter.com/1UoLbBFGNv

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 25, 2021

The flight carrying Spavor and Kovrig, who have become known internationally as “The Two Michaels,” departed for Canada late Friday just as Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou made her way back to China after resolving a legal saga that mired them all in a geopolitical melee.

The case connecting the three detained citizens’ fates came to an abrupt conclusion when Meng, the chief financial officer at Huawei Technologies and the daughter of the telecom’s founder, reached a deal with U.S. prosecutors over fraud and conspiracy charges related to American sanctions against Iran.

In a virtual appearance in a New York courtroom, Meng pleaded not guilty on all charges as the judge signed off on a deferred prosecution agreement that would see the indictment against her dismissed after Dec. 1, 2022 – four years from the date of her arrest – provided that she complied with all her obligations under the terms of the deal.

Soon after, Meng walked out of a British Columbia Supreme Court after a judge agreed to a discharge order that withdrew a U.S. extradition request that led to her 2018 arrest in Vancouver.

Kovrig and Spavor were arrested in China on espionage charges just days later in apparent retaliation. China has publicly maintained that there is no connection between her case and men’s imprisonment, but had also dropped broad hints that if she were allowed to go free, that could benefit the two Canadians.

The flight carrying Kovrig and Spavor departed China at nearly the same time as Meng was flying back to her home country from Vancouver.

While Meng was kept under house arrest at a mansion in that city, the Canadians faced much harsher conditions in Chinese prisons where their access to the outside world was extremely limited.

Earlier this year, Kovrig and Spavor were both convicted of spying in closed Chinese courts _ a process that Canada and dozens of allies said amounts to arbitrary detention on bogus charges in a closed system of justice with no accountability.

Spavor received an 11-year sentence, while Kovrig had yet to be sentenced.

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Meng arrived Saturday evening aboard a chartered jet provided by flag carrier Air China in the southern technology hub of Shenzhen, where Huawei is based.

Her return, met with a flag-waving group of airline employees, was carried live on state TV, underscoring the degree to which Beijing has linked her case with Chinese nationalism and its rise as a global economic and political power.

Wearing a red dress matching the color of China’s flag, Meng thanked the ruling Communist Party and its leader Xi Jinping for supporting her through more than 1,000 days in house arrest in Vancouver, where she owns two multimillion dollar mansions.

“I have finally returned to the warm embrace of the motherland,” Meng said. “As an ordinary Chinese citizen going through this difficult time, I always felt the warmth and concern of the party, the nation and the people.”

Shortly before her return, the Communist Party’s flagship People’s Daily newspaper declared the resolution of the case as a “glorious victory for the Chinese people” achieved through the “unremitting efforts of the Chinese government.”

“The evidence shows this was purely a case of the political persecution of a Chinese citizen with the purpose of suppressing China’s technological advancement,” the paper said. “No force can block China’s forward progress,” it added.

In an emailed statement, Huawei said it would continue to defend itself against the allegations. The company also sent a statement from Meng’s lawyer, William W. Taylor III, saying she had “not pleaded guilty and we fully expect the indictment will be dismissed with prejudice after 14 months.”

Crisis Group said it welcomed the release of Kovrig, who had been working with the international foreign policy think tank prior to his arrest.

“After more than 1,000 days in detention in Beijing, our colleague Michael was released, together with another Canadian Michael Spavor, on 24 September,” the group said in a statement. “We’re relieved the government of China has righted this wrong.”

The group praised Kovrig for his “fortitude and humanity” during the last three years as well as the efforts of Canadian officials “who have worked tirelessly in support of Michael.”

“Michael, we’re so proud of you. We’re so proud to have you as part of the Crisis Group family. You’re an inspiration to all of us. Welcome home.”