[The Epoch Times, September 24, 2024](Reported by English Epoch Times reporter Andrew Chen/Compiled by Chen Ting) Three years after his release from China, Michael Kovrig gave his first public interview, describing the torture he suffered when he was imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party. suffering.
In an interview with CBC, the former Canadian diplomat told how he was forcibly taken away from his wife, who was six months pregnant. He was then blindfolded, taken to a cell and subjected to a variety of physical and mental torture.
“This is definitely the hardest and most painful thing I have ever experienced.” Kovrig said that he was placed in solitary confinement, completely isolated, and required to undergo 6 to 9 hours of ruthless interrogation every day.
While United Nations guidelines stipulate that solitary confinement should not exceed 15 consecutive days, Kovrig noted that for nearly six months he was held in a windowless cell.
“I overestimated the rationality of the Chinese Communist Party and underestimated their cruelty,” he said.
Kovrig was detained in December 2018, which was widely believed to be an act of retaliation by the Chinese authorities after Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Canada arrested Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the request of U.S. authorities. The United States accuses Meng Wanzhou of concealing business dealings between Hong Kong subsidiary Skycom and Iran and violating US sanctions, and hopes to extradite Meng Wanzhou.
Meng Wanzhou has been under house arrest in a multi-million dollar mansion in Vancouver for nearly three years, but Kovrig’s detention conditions are far harsher. Much of this has been hidden due to restricted access by Canadian consular officials and lawyers.
detention and imprisonment
Kovrig vividly recalled the night he was detained. He said that at around 10 p.m., he and his wife had dinner in the Sanlitun SOHO district of Beijing when he was arrested.
When they walked near the apartment where they lived, a dozen “men in black” suddenly surrounded them. They snatched Kovrig’s mobile phone, held down his arms, and forcibly separated him from his wife. He was then handcuffed, pushed into a black SUV and blindfolded.
“Before they pushed me into the car, I looked back at my wife and we looked at each other.” Kovrig recalled that he tried to tell her to stay safe, “I don’t know when I will see her again.”
Kovrig said he was taken to a facility in southern Beijing, a journey estimated to take about 45 minutes. He counted the seconds, trying to estimate the distance. After arriving at his destination, he heard the crunch of wheels on the gravel, the barking of dogs, and the door clanked open and he was taken into a building.
Once inside, Kovrig found himself facing a man wearing thick glasses, with dazzling lights shining on Kovrig’s face. The man told him that he was suspected of endangering China’s national security and “had to undergo interrogation.”
“At that moment, I had chills running down my spine and I felt quite uncomfortable,” Kovrig said.
He was later taken to a cell with no windows and padded walls. There he was held in solitary confinement for nearly six months and subjected to lengthy interrogations. He said he experienced “a lot of physical stress”, such as being chained to a chair for hours on end, and lost about 10 kilograms in the first month because he was given very little food.
“I’m hungry all the time,” Kovrig said.
“From Hell to Purgatory”
After some time, Kovrig was moved to a larger cell and shared with more than a dozen Chinese inmates. He described the transition as “from hell to limbo.” The new cells have high ceilings and daylight filters in through acrylic windows. He spent the next two years here.
Kovrig said he found solace in books, including a Chinese dictionary, which led to a change of heart.
“I’m not a hostage, I’m not a criminal, or anything else that the Chinese Communist Party has falsely accused me of. I’m a monk in a cell. I’m a student learning about the world, a student studying philosophy, a student studying Chinese,” he said. .
He said that he would write letters to his family, writing long letters to his daughter whom he had never met, expressing his love for his family and commemorating his daughter’s first birthday. He avoided scrutiny by guards and expressed his feelings carefully.
Kovrig said: “Letters written to loved ones are like light shining through the cracks of darkness.”
Canadian businessman Michael Spavor
Shortly after Meng Wanzhou was arrested, another Canadian citizen, Michael Spavor, was also detained in China. Kovrig said he did not know Spavor was also detained until he was interrogated by Chinese authorities.
Kovrig said that the Chinese Communist authorities once forced him to name the “most useful and informative foreigner” to China that he had come into contact with.
Kovrig said he believed Spavor was a tour guide who ran a travel agency specializing in North Korea tours. He pointed out that Spavor did not speak Chinese and could not provide expert insights on China issues.
Kovrig said the interrogators’ questioning was “completely baseless” and they quickly gave up because they understood there were no substantive issues to pursue.
Later, Spavor was tried in China on March 19, 2021. This was a closed-door trial in which Canadian consular officials could not be present. He faced espionage charges and was sentenced to 11 years in prison, a move condemned by Ottawa.
Spavor and Kovrig were both released in September 2021 on the same day as Meng Wanzhou.
Spavor later reportedly claimed that he was detained by Chinese authorities because he inadvertently shared sensitive intelligence with Kovrig, which was later provided to Ottawa and Canada’s foreign allies. He subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Canadian government and settled for $7 million in March 2024.
In response to Spavor’s accusations, Global Affairs Canada said at the time that all claims that the two Canadians were involved in “espionage activities” would only strengthen the Chinese Communist Party’s false accusations about their arrest.
Kovrig expressed disappointment when asked about Spavor’s allegation, which has reignited concerns that he is a spy.
“It’s really hurtful. It’s hurtful for a lot of reasons. First of all, it’s not true. I’ve never been a spy,” Kovrig said. “Frankly, I’m disappointed that there are so many so quickly. People are willing to believe a statement that has no basis.”
“They want to take hostages”
Reflecting on his own experience, Kovrig said the Canadian government should be “better prepared and develop a strategy” if it were to take actions that might anger the CCP and potentially lead to the detention of Canadian citizens.
He pointed out that the Chinese authorities are willing to use hostage diplomacy regardless of the possible target.
“(The Chinese Communist Party) wants hostages, they want to capture someone, and if I’m not there, it’s going to be someone else,” Kovrig said.
“In fact, one of the small comforts I take from this is that by going through this ordeal myself, I saved others from suffering,” Kovrig said.
original”‘I Underestimated Their Ruthlessness’: Michael Kovrig Recounts Suffering Under CCP Captivity“Published inEnglishThe Epoch Times.
Editor in charge: Li Lin#
