China sentences fourth Canadian to death on drug charges in 2 years

On August 7, China sentenced a fourth Canadian citizen to death on drug charges in less than two years. Ye Jianhui was sentenced by the Foshan Municipal Intermediate Court in the southern province of Guangdong.  According to media reports, Ye had been found guilty of manufacturing and transporting illegal drugs, the court said in a brief statement. Another suspect in the case was also given the death penalty and four others sentenced to between seven years and life in prison.

Death sentences are automatically referred to as China’s highest court for review. Canada and China's relations hit the rock in 2018, when Meng Wanzhou, a company executive and the daughter of Huawei's founder, was arrested at Vancouver's airport at the request of the U.S., which wants her extradited to face fraud charges over the company's dealings with Iran. This step angered China.

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 Ye's sentencing comes a day after fellow Canadian Xu Weihong was given the death penalty by the Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate Court, also in Guandong province. Convicted Canadian drug smuggler Robert Schellenberg was sentenced to death in a sudden retrial shortly after Meng's arrest, and a Canadian citizen identified as Fan Wei was given the death penalty in April 2019 for his role in a multinational drug smuggling case. In apparent retaliation, China also detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor weeks after Meng's arrest, accusing them of vague national security crimes.

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Espionage case

On June 19, Chinese prosecutors charged two Canadians detained in the country since 2018 for suspected espionage that can result in life imprisonment. Accordion to international media reports, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that he is “very disappointed” with China’s move and has informed that Ottawa would keep mounting pressure on Beijing to release its two citizens. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor were arrested in China towards the end of 2018 on charges related to security just after Canadian law enforcement officers detained Meng Wanzhou on American warrant and is the chief financial officer in the Chinese tech giant, Huawei. The Asian superpower has repeatedly stated that the detention of the Canadians is not related to Meng being in Canada’s custody. However, international media agency has cited former diplomats and experts who have claimed that Kovrig and Spavor are being used to pressurize Canada.

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(With inputs from - AP)