The editor-in-chief of a Chinese Communist Party controlled propaganda tabloid, Global Times, falsely claimed, in a Twitter post, that Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was illegally detained in Canada for 1028 days.
Meng was detained by Canadian authorities in Vancouver in December 2018, after receiving an extradition request from the United States government for fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. Canada’s extradition treaty with the United States requires Canadian authorities to detain, at the request of the US government, individuals charged with criminal offences.
Two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, were kidnapped and imprisoned by Chinese authorities in retaliation and spent 1020 days in Chinese prisons in horrendous conditions, where they faced threats and abuse.
Meanwhile, Meng Wanzhou was held under house arrest in a multi-million-dollar mansion and was free to move about the Vancouver area.
As part of Meng’s Deferred Prosecution Agreement, the Huawei CFO acknowledged helping Huawei conceal its dealings with Iran, which is a violation of US sanctions.
The Chinese government and state media frequently promoted narratives to erode public support for Canada’s arrest of Meng. Such narratives are designed to undermine Canadian public confidence in Canada’s extradition treaty process with the United States, and more broadly, Canadian authorities and its judicial system.
Contrary to the narrative promoted by Chinese state media, Meng’s arrest by Canadian authorities in response to a US extradition request was proper and followed all of the legal requirements prescribed by the Canada-US extradition treaty.
