TORONTO — China executed 4 Canadians in current months, Canada’s international affairs minister mentioned Wednesday. Such executions of Westerners are comparatively uncommon.
International Minister Mélanie Joly mentioned she and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requested for clemency within the drug-related accusations involving the twin residents.
Beijing’s embassy in Ottawa mentioned the executions have been as a consequence of drug crimes and famous that China doesn’t acknowledge twin citizenship.
“We strongly condemn the executions,” Joly advised reporters in Ottawa. “I requested personally for leniency … They have been all twin residents.”
Joly mentioned Canada persistently asks for clemency for Canadians going through the demise penalty overseas. She mentioned the households have requested the federal government to withhold particulars of the identification of the 4 people.
International Affairs spokeswoman Charlotte MacLeod mentioned they proceed to supply consular help to households and requested that the media respect their privateness. She mentioned Ottawa continues to advocate for clemency for Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian who was sentenced to demise for drug smuggling.
“China at all times impose extreme penalties on drug-related crimes,” a spokesperson for the Chinese language embassy mentioned. “The information of the crimes dedicated by the Canadian nationals concerned within the instances are clear, and the proof is strong and adequate.”
China is believed to execute extra prisoners annually than the remainder of the world mixed, although the entire is a state secret. Executions are historically carried out by gunshot, although deadly injections have been launched in recent times.
The embassy spokesperson mentioned Beijing “absolutely assured the rights and pursuits of the Canadian nationals involved,” and urged Canada’s authorities to “cease making irresponsible remarks.”
The 2 international locations 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 the US, China, Canada and Mexico.
“China is sending us a message that now we have to take steps if we need to see an enchancment within the relationship,” mentioned a former Canadian ambassador to China, Man Saint-Jacques.
China is Canada’s second largest buying and selling associate, however relations been dangerous since Canadian authorities in 2018 arrested a former Huawei govt 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 take care of U.S. authorities in her case.
Many international locations 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 growth.
Amnesty Worldwide condemned the executions and famous that China executed hundreds of individuals in 2023.
“These surprising and inhumane executions of Canadian residents by Chinese language authorities ought to be a wake-up name for Canada,” the group’s head for English-speaking Canada, Ketty Nivyabandi, mentioned Wednesday in an announcement.
