Canada says China executed 4 Canadians earlier this yr

TORONTO — China executed 4 Canadians in current months, Canada’s international affairs minister stated Wednesday. Such executions of Westerners are comparatively uncommon.

International Minister Mélanie Joly stated she and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requested for clemency within the drug-related accusations involving the twin residents.

Beijing’s embassy in Ottawa stated the executions have been resulting from drug crimes and famous that China doesn’t acknowledge twin citizenship.

“We strongly condemn the executions,” Joly informed reporters in Ottawa. “I asked personally for leniency … They were all dual citizens.”

Joly stated Canada constantly asks for clemency for Canadians dealing with the demise penalty overseas. She stated the households have requested the federal government to withhold particulars of the identification of the 4 people.

World Affairs spokeswoman Charlotte MacLeod stated they proceed to supply consular help to households and requested that the media respect their privateness. She stated Ottawa continues to advocate for clemency for Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian who was sentenced to demise for drug smuggling.

“China always imposes severe penalties on drug-related crimes,” a spokesperson for the Chinese language embassy stated. “The facts of the crimes committed by the Canadian nationals involved in the cases are clear, and the evidence is solid and sufficient.”

China is believed to execute extra prisoners every year than the remainder of the world mixed, although the whole is a state secret. Executions are historically carried out by gunshot, although deadly injections have been launched lately.

The embassy spokesperson stated Beijing “fully guaranteed the rights and interests of the Canadian nationals concerned,” and urged Canada’s authorities to “stop making irresponsible remarks.”

The 2 nations have some tensions. China imposed retaliatory tariffs on some Canadian farm and meals imports earlier this month, after Canada imposed duties in October on Chinese language-made electrical autos and metal and aluminum merchandise. The tariffs add to world commerce tensions amid rounds of tariff bulletins by america, China, Canada and Mexico.

“China is sending us a message that we have to take steps if we want to see an improvement in the relationship,” stated a former Canadian ambassador to China, Man Saint-Jacques.

Ian Brodie, a former chief of workers to ex-Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, posted on social media that it seems “agricultural tariffs weren’t the worst part of the PRC response to EV tariffs.”

And opposition Conservative lawmaker Michael Chong stated “executing a number of Canadians in short order is unprecedented, and is clearly a sign that Beijing has no intention of improving relations with Canada.”

China is Canada’s second largest buying and selling companion, however relations been unhealthy since Canadian authorities in 2018 arrested a former Huawei government who the U.S. had charged with fraud.

China jailed two Canadians shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of the corporate’s founder, on a U.S. extradition request. They have been despatched again to Canada in 2021, the identical day Meng returned to China after reaching a cope with U.S. authorities in her case.

Many nations referred to as China’s motion “hostage politics,” whereas China described the costs in opposition to Huawei and Meng as a politically motivated try to carry again China’s financial and technological improvement.

Amnesty Worldwide condemned the executions and famous that China executed hundreds of individuals in 2023.

“These shocking and inhumane executions of Canadian citizens by Chinese authorities should be a wake-up call for Canada,” the group’s head for English-speaking Canada, Ketty Nivyabandi, stated Wednesday in an announcement.