'Friends of India' demand China frees detained Canadians; protest at Vancouver embassy

'Friends of India' organization on Saturday held a protest outside the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver demanding the release of detained Canadians in China. The two citizens have been arrested because of a diplomatic row between the two countries over the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou by the Trudeau government.

'A strong message to the Chinese govt'

“China is bullying everyone worldwide,” said Maninder Singh Gill who is with the organization. “So we want to send a strong message to the Chinese government, that’s why we decided to protest in front of the Chinese (consulate)," Gill was quoted by saying by 'Global News'

Meng, the daughter of Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, was arrested on December 1, 2018, at Vancouver International Airport during a layover stop en route to Mexico from Hong Kong at the request of the US government. Meng is wanted by US authorities for her alleged role in violating sanctions against Iran.

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The detention of Meng was followed by the arrest of former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor by Beijing, in a move that was regarded by some as a retaliatory measure. Canada calls the detention arbitrary, while Chinese authorities insist that the two men posed a threat to national security.

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Kovrig and Spavor have been charged with espionage and have been detained for more than 550 days. Espionage is a capital offence in China. Both countries have defended the independence of their judicial system and denied claims the cases are connected or politically motivated. Earlier, Tibetans in Canada had protested similarly, following the LAC clash with China and the country's continued belligerence. 

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(with ANI inputs)