Canada Denounces the Execution of Its Citizens in China Amid Rising Tensions

This year, several Canadian nationals have been executed in China, leading Canada's foreign affairs ministry to fervently denounce the application of the death penalty.

Global Affairs Canada has confirmed that an undisclosed number of Canadian citizens were executed in China earlier this year.

The country's foreign affairs ministry expressed that it "strongly condemns" China's application of the death penalty, highlighting its irreversibility and its incompatibility with fundamental human dignity.

A representative from Global Affairs Canada indicated that the nation has persistently advocated for leniency for the affected individuals at high levels and continues to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances.

Consular support is being extended to the families of the victims.

In response, China's embassy in Canada asserted that it is a "rule of law" nation where individuals found guilty of law violations must face accountability, especially in serious drug-related offenses that are seen as detrimental to society.

The embassy further claimed to possess "solid and sufficient" evidence in all instances of executed prisoners and stated that the Chinese judicial system managed the cases in strict accordance with the law, safeguarding the rights and interests of the involved Canadian nationals.

In China, the conviction rate exceeds 99%, a figure that has faced skepticism and backlash from human rights organizations.

Since 2018, relations between Canada and China have been tense following the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver upon the request of US authorities, which subsequently resulted in the detention of two Canadian citizens in China on espionage charges.

A Canadian national, Robert Schellenberg, who was charged with attempting to smuggle methamphetamine to Australia in 2014, had his sentence elevated to execution in 2019 amid the diplomatic conflict between the two nations.