Michael Kovrig’s ordeal in China

Michael Kovrig, one of two Canadians detained in China for more than 1,000 days on alleged spying charges, has opened up about his harrowing experience of psychological torture during his imprisonment.

Kovrig and fellow Canadian Michael Spavor were arrested in 2018 in what many believe was a retaliatory move by Beijing after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei.

Kovrig, a former diplomat, was working as a senior advisor for the International Crisis Group in Beijing when he was detained on December 10, 2018.

He recalled being seized by a dozen men in black as he walked home with his six-month pregnant partner. Kovrig was then blindfolded, handcuffed, and taken to a padded cell, where he spent six months in solitary confinement under constant fluorescent lighting.

“We came up a spiral staircase right in front of the plaza in front of my apartment building, and boom,” he said.

“There’s a dozen men in black with cameras on them surrounding us, shouting in Chinese, ‘That’s him.’”

His daily routine involved 6 to 9 hours of relentless interrogation, during which he was locked in a chair for hours, surviving on minimal food.

“It was the most gruelling, painful thing I’ve ever been through,” said Kovrig in an interview with Canadian public broadcaster CBC that aired on Monday night.

Accusations of torture and isolation

Kovrig described the treatment he endured as psychological torture, with Chinese authorities attempting to coerce him into accepting their false accusations.

“At that point they said, ‘You are under suspicion of endangering China’s state security. You are going to be interrogated,’” Kovrig said. “A chill went down my spine.”

He spent the first six months of his detention in isolation, which violated UN standards, before being moved to a larger cell with plexiglass windows and a dozen cellmates, which he likened to “moving from hell to limbo.”

“The United Nations standard is no more than 15 days in solitary confinement. More than that is considered psychological torture. I was there for nearly six months,” he said.

Despite Beijing’s claims that Kovrig and Spavor were involved in illegal activities, no evidence was publicly disclosed. Their trials were held behind closed doors, and the details of the charges remain vague.

Release and reunion

Kovrig remained in detention for the next two years, until his release in September 2021—the same day the U.S. dropped its request to extradite Meng Wanzhou.

According to CBC, within two hours of the extradition request being rescinded, he and Spavor boarded a plane to Canada, clearing Chinese airspace.

In response to Mr. Kovrig’s interview, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Chinese judicial authorities managed the case strictly according to the law.

“Lies and smears cannot change the fact that the person you mentioned committed a crime. We advise the relevant parties to respect the facts and reflect on their mistakes,” he told reporters in Beijing on Tuesday.

Upon his return to Toronto, Kovrig was reunited with his estranged wife, Vina Nadjibulla, who had campaigned tirelessly for his release. He also met his daughter, born while he was imprisoned, for the first time. Describing the moment as heartwarming, Kovrig shared the joy of reconnecting with his family after years of suffering.