In an open letter, the Canadian Coalition on Human Rights in China - a coalition of ten Canadian organizations dedicated to ensuring there is strong attention to human rights in Canada’s relationship with China, calls on the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, to raise 'urgent' human rights issues in her meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
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"Jimmy Lai’s case epitomizes the CCP’s [Chinese Communist Party's] use of hostage diplomacy," the letter reads.
"The 78-year-old diabetic publisher, whose family and business ties to Canada are extensive, has spent more than 1,800 days imprisoned under abusive conditions before being sentenced to 20 years under Hong Kong’s National Security Law for journalism. He was denied legal representation of his own choosing, denied a fair trial, denied adequate healthcare, and denied consular access."
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The letter also says that Canadians continue to be held captive by China, including Huseyin Celil, a Uyghur Canadian denied consular access for 20 years; and Dr. Wang Bingzhang, a Canadian Permanent Resident sentenced to life imprisonment in solitary confinement for supporting democracy, and whose Canadian wife and children have spent decades awaiting his return.
"We ask you to build on this record by raising the cases of Jimmy Lai, Huseyin Celil, and Dr. Wang Bingzhang publicly, prominently, and persistently — before, during, and after this meeting," the coalition says.
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The G7 Rapid Response Mechanism housed in GAC has confirmed an ongoing CCP Spamouflage campaign targeting Canadian residents, generating 100 to 200 posts per day involving deepfakes, doxing, gendered disinformation, and swatting. Two RCMP officers have been charged with providing information on diaspora activists to the Chinese government.
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We ask you to ensure that the Government of Canada will demand that China commit to no further hostage diplomacy and extraterritorial intimidation and removal of all the punitive sanctioning of Canadians by China if a “strategic partnership" between Canada and China is to move forward. Unless Beijing is required to demonstrate respect and reciprocity – the release of Huseyin Celil, Jimmy Lai, and Dr. Wang Bingzhang would be a testament to this – their state supported violations of Canadian law will likely only intensify.
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During his last visit in 2016, China's foreign minister Wang Yi. publicly berated a Canadian journalist for asking a question about his country's human rights record.
Back then, Wang Yi said it was "irresponsible" of a journalist to ask about human rights and the jailing of a Canadian, Kevin Garratt ...
Wang appeared visibly angry as he delivered the scolding in the lobby of Global Affairs headquarters at a joint news conference with then Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion.
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