China executes four Canadian nationals on drug-related charges

Canada has strongly condemned the execution of four Canadians despite urging clemency over drug-smuggling charges, in the latest case that has sparked diplomatic tension between the two countries.

Foreign minister Mélanie Joly said the four people had dual citizenship and were facing "charges linked to criminal activities, according to China, linked to drugs".

They were executed earlier this year, she said.

“There are four Canadians that have been executed and therefore we are strongly condemning what happened,” she said. "I asked personally for leniency ... They were all dual citizens."

She said she and the former prime minister Justin Trudeau personally intervened in the cases of four citizens and added that she could not provide more details as the families requested privacy.

"Of course, our hearts and minds are with the families," she said.

Global Affairs spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod said they are providing consular assistance to the families and requested that the media respect their privacy.

Canada "remains steadfast in its opposition to the use of the death penalty in all cases, everywhere”, she added.

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa defended the executions and said they do not recognise dual citizenship. "China always imposes severe penalties on drug-related crimes," a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy said.

"The facts of the crimes committed by the Canadian nationals involved in the cases are clear, and the evidence is solid and sufficient."

The embassy said the four cases were handled "in strict accordance with the law" and that the rights and interests of the Canadians were "fully guaranteed".

China-Canada relations have been strained in recent years, particularly since December 2018 when Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of the US. In apparent retaliation, China detained two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, accusing them of espionage. This episode, often termed “hostage diplomacy”, severely damaged diplomatic ties.

The Michaels’ were released in 2021, however, the ongoing disputes over trade, human rights, and espionage allegations continue to keep Canada-China ties fragile.

Amnesty International condemned the latest executions and noted that China executed thousands of people in 2023.

"These shocking and inhumane executions of Canadian citizens by Chinese authorities should be a wake-up call for Canada," the group's head for English-speaking Canada, Ketty Nivyabandi, said Wednesday in a statement.

China is believed to execute more prisoners each year than the rest of the world combined, though the total is a state secret. Executions are traditionally carried out by gunshot, though lethal injections have been introduced in recent years.