Chinese court upholds Canadian defendant's death sentence; another Canadian sentenced to 11 years in prison

Sranjana Tewari, BBC News

A Chinese court today dismissed an appeal by a Canadian man sentenced to death for drug smuggling, citing "sufficient" evidence. Another Canadian defendant on espionage charges was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Wednesday.

The relationship between Canada and China continues to deteriorate, and the judgment was made in such circumstances.

Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison. But in 2019, the high court ruled that his sentence was too light. He was remanded and sentenced to death.

Canada's Ambassador to China Dominic Burton condemned the ruling. He said it was "not a coincidence" that the ruling came at a time when the extradition dispute of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was still ongoing in Canada.

Huawei's founder's daughter, Meng, is currently being held in Canada under a US arrest warrant.

Canada has accused China of engaging in "hostage diplomacy". The Chinese government has said the two incidents are unrelated.

History of the Death Penalty

Shellenberg was detained in 2014 and charged with trying to smuggle 230 kilograms of methamphetamine from China to Australia.

The defendant denied the charges. He claimed that he had traveled to China.

In November 2018, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

But a few days later, Canada detained Meng. China has warned Canada of consequences if it does not release Meng.

Shellenberg later appealed the ruling. The high court did not commutate the sentence, and conversely handed down the death penalty on the grounds that the judgment of the first instance was too light.

At this hearing, the High Court said evidence showed that the defendant was heavily involved in international drug trafficking.

A lawyer for the defense told Reuters at the time that no new evidence was introduced at the trial and that the sentence should not have been harsher.

Canadian Trial

Meanwhile, a court in northern China's Dandong City handed down the ruling of another high-profile case on the 11th.

Businessman Michael Spaver accused of espionage. On this day, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The defendant was detained in China two years ago, along with former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig. It was not long after Meng was detained in Canada.

In a statement, the court said, "For the charges of espionage and illegally providing state secrets to foreign countries, he will be sentenced to 11 years in prison and confiscation and deportation of property worth 50,000 yuan (approximately $8,000). I passed it on."

It is not known when deportation will take place.

AFP reported that Ambassador to China Burton told reporters outside the court that he "condemned" the ruling. He also said he "has an opportunity to appeal."

Spaver's trial lasted about two hours at a court in Dandong in March of this year and ended without reaching a verdict.

At that time, none of the Canadian diplomats, including the minister to China, were allowed to enter the court.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time that the closed hearing was "totally unacceptable."

Spaver is a founding member of the Paektu Cultural Exchange, an organization that engages in business and cultural exchanges with North Korea.

Canada Sees Retaliation

The BBC's Shanghai correspondent Robin Brandt describes the three Canadian defendants as criminals China claims. Canada, meanwhile, said it believed it was a retaliatory detention closely related to Meng's detention.

In addition, he explained that Canada takes it as a threat against Canada's intention to extradite Mr. Meng to the country for trial in the United States. China denies such a view.

Kovrig was also charged with espionage and a trial began in March, but a verdict has yet to be reached.

(English article Canadian loses appeal against China death penalty)

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