BEIJING—Chinese authorities opened and closed the espionage trial of the 2nd Canadian at the heart of a lengthy-working standoff with both equally Canada and the U.S. with no offering a verdict.
Michael Kovrig, a researcher on depart from Canada’s diplomatic company, attended the hearing Monday with his attorney, explained Beijing No. two Intermediate People’s Courtroom, incorporating that it would problem a verdict at a later on day. Mr. Kovrig has been billed with “probing into point out secrets and techniques and intelligence” on behalf of foreign actors.
The trial commenced a few times immediately after a very similar hearing for Michael Spavor in the northeastern Chinese town of Dandong, on the border with North Korea. That hearing concluded in a make a difference of hrs, also with no a verdict. Mr. Spavor ran a nonprofit that structured academic, tourist and business excursions to North Korea.
Jim Nickel, Canada’s deputy chief of mission in China, explained outdoors the Beijing court Monday early morning that he had asked for entry to the hearing but that he was denied on national security grounds. He cited Mr. Kovrig’s attorney and a court formal in indicating the trial had started.
Flanked by U.S. performing deputy chief of mission, William Klein, and diplomats from extra than two dozen nations around the world, several of them European, Mr. Nickel named for Chinese authorities to grant them obtain. He pointed to the Canada-China consular settlement, which he explained ensures consular obtain to citizens getting tried out. Canadian diplomats were also denied consular obtain to Mr. Spavor’s trial on national security grounds.
