Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an interview with the U.S. media on the eve of the Meng Wanzhou extradition case reopening that he would not be pressured to release her.
In an interview with NBC host Chuck Todd, Trudeau said the two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, were detained by China on “trumped-up national security charges. “China is “trying to pressure us to release Meng.”
Trudeau said, “Canada is a country of law, and we don’t do that, but we follow the law and the rule of law. But it’s extremely difficult for Canada to go through this situation when we know that China is arbitrarily detaining our citizens with no regard for fairness.”
The interview with NBC comes just days after Trudeau met with newly sworn-in U.S. President Joe Biden for the first Time in a videotaped bilateral meeting. Shortly after the meeting, Biden vowed to work with Canada to secure the safe release of the two Canadians, saying that “people are not bargaining chips.
Defense expected to play “Trump card”
In an interview with NBC, Trudeau said his conversations with Biden about the two Canadians were “very positive” and that both sides had agreed to work together to resolve the issue and “hold China accountable.
The court hearing in Meng’s extradition case resumed Monday, and defense lawyers are expected to focus on former U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments, arguing that they are so damaging to the extradition hearing that the hearing “can no longer reasonably be considered fair” and should be stopped immediately. This is one of four arguments that Meng’s defense team is making against extradition in the new hearing.
In court filings, Meng’s legal team said Trump made “shocking and invasive statements” that reduced Meng to “an economic asset,” including comments Trump made to Reuters a week after Meng’s arrest that if he thought Meng’s case could serve U.S. national security interests or help with the extradition process If he thought Meng’s case could serve U.S. national security interests or help reach a trade deal with China, then he would “definitely intervene.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in the case in order to use Meng’s prosecution for political purposes, Meng’s lawyers wrote. Such behavior is a serious violation of the rule of law and the integrity of the judicial process. And even more daunting is the fact that Trump has previously intervened or actively intervened in criminal cases for personal or political reasons, and has falsely claimed to be the “chief law enforcement officer” of the United States.
The prosecutor in this case has said in the earlier documents submitted to the BC Supreme Court that these arguments are “moot”. The prosecutor said the arguments are based on the words of a defunct president and are about possible interventions that did not occur and have no past, present or future impact on the proceedings.
The extradition hearing is expected to last until May, and Ottawa, Beijing and Washington will be closely monitoring progress.
For his part, Trudeau re-emphasized that he will not bypass the court to release Meng.
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