China says Michael Kovrig, Michael Spavor have been indicted, tried

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor are marking two years behind bars in China as word comes from Beijing that the pair have been “arrested, indicted and tried.”

The announcement from the Chinese foreign ministry appears to be the first public mention that the two men have been brought to court.

China has said Kovrig and Spavor are being held on suspicion of committing acts harming China’s national security but neither it nor Canada has released specifics about their cases.

The two men have been confined since Dec. 10, 2018, just days after Canada detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who is also the daughter of the founder of the Chinese global communications equipment giant.

The U.S. is seeking Meng’s extradition from Canada on fraud charges.

Her arrest severely damaged relations between Canada and China, which has also sentenced two other Canadians to death and suspended canola imports.

Meng, the CFO of Huawei Technologies, is living in a luxury Vancouver home while her extradition case continues in a British Columbia court.

The U.S. accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company to deceive banks and do business with Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.