Beyond mainland China, new charges will bypass the local legislature, raising fears in Hong Kong about an upcoming national security law, which will be imposed by Beijing in the city.

‘Arbitrary detention

Kovrig was a former diplomat in Beijing and worked in the International Crisis Group (ICG). Spavor is the founder of the Paektu Cultural Exchange, which helps streamline North Korea trips. He helped former NBA player Dennis Rodman travel to Pyongyang to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The Canadian government has repeatedly described their detentions as “arbitrary”. The contacts of family members and two men explained that they were held in bad conditions and refused contact from the outside.

“In both cases, they receive consular visits once a month for exactly 30 minutes, where someone is watching the whole discussion.” “These mainly serve to give them news about their family and to give them books and other reading materials. They are very difficult for them, they wait, and they have no idea when and how to release them.”

Someone who knew the situation told CNN that diplomatic efforts in Canada have so far focused on trying to solve what is a complex political entanglement.

There is a bigger geopolitical game between China and the US, where Canada is caught a little bit in the middle, added people, and two Canadians paying the price.

Saint-Jacques agreed by saying that China’s problem is about the US: “But of course they do not dare to arrest former (American) diplomats or diplomats on leave.”

He said China was surprised by the widespread international condemnation of his arrest of the two Canadians, but beyond getting support from the allies, Ottawa had little to do. “It is very difficult to find something because the Chinese do not really want anything,” he said.

Spavor’s family “was caught as an unaware and reluctant pawn in a clash between the two superpowers, and swept by geopolitical currents and powers beyond control,” he said last year on the anniversary of his detention.