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United States Stands with Canada Against China’s Arbitrary Detention of Canadian Citizens
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June 23, 2020

U.S. Department of State Seal
U.S. Department of State Seal

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
For Immediate Release

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY MICHAEL R. POMPEO

June 22, 2020

The United States is extremely concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) decision to proceed with formal charges against Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. These charges are politically motivated and completely groundless. The United States stands with Canada in calling on Beijing for the immediate release of the two men and rejects the use of these unjustified detentions to coerce Canada.   Additionally, we echo Canada’s call for immediate consular access to its two citizens, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, as China has prohibited such access for almost six months, and the world has no knowledge of the two Canadians’ condition.

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