Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, has spoken publicly for the first time about the abuse he endured during his 1,019 days of detention in China. In an interview aired on September 23, 2024, by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Kovrig described the psychological and physical torment he suffered while in Chinese custody.
Michael Kovrig was arrested in Beijing on December 10, 2018 — just days after Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei, at the request of the United States. The move by China was widely seen as a retaliatory measure. At the time of his arrest, Kovrig was returning home with his partner, who was six months pregnant. He would not see her again for nearly three years, missing the birth of their daughter and the first years of her life.
Enduring solitary confinement and psychological torment
In the CBC interview, Michael Kovrig revealed that he was held in solitary confinement for nearly six months, describing it as “the most torturous and painful experience” of his life. He explained: “The United Nations standard is that solitary confinement beyond 15 days is considered psychological torture. I endured it for almost half a year.”
His daily routine involved total isolation and relentless interrogations that lasted six to nine hours at a time. “They tried to bully, intimidate, and break me into signing false confessions,” he said. During these sessions, he was bound to a stiff wooden chair and forbidden to change posture or cross his legs. The windowless room was lit by fluorescent lights 24 hours a day. Because he refused to cooperate, authorities restricted his food, leaving him constantly hungry.
Coping through discipline and inner strength
To stay mentally strong, Michael Kovrig said he followed a strict personal code. He practiced yoga and meditation, and even began teaching himself Chinese. After six months, he was transferred to a prison where he was allowed cellmates and could see sunlight. “It felt like going from hell to the edge of hell,” he said.
Michael Kovrig and another Canadian, businessman Michael Spavor, were both released on September 25, 2021, the same day Meng Wanzhou returned to China under a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S.
A broader pattern of abuse and the global response
Others have come forward with similar stories. Li Jianfeng, a former Chinese judge who was imprisoned for defending human rights, was held in solitary confinement for 16 days before being placed under strict surveillance for several months. Now granted political asylum in Canada, Li described his treatment as physically and mentally unbearable.
“You sleep maybe six hours a day, and wake up at five in the morning,” Li said. “You’re forced to stand perfectly still for hours during what they call ‘sentencing.’ If you shift your posture even slightly, guards rush in and beat you with electric batons. It’s beyond what most people can imagine.”
Li also criticized the Chinese authorities for blatantly disregarding international human rights standards. “It’s absurd that China holds a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council,” he added.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on September 24, 2024, defending its legal system. “China is a country ruled by law,” the statement said. “Judicial organs handle cases strictly in accordance with the law. Lies and smears cannot change the facts. We advise the relevant parties to respect the truth and reflect on their own actions.”
Meanwhile, Canada’s Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, speaking from New York during the United Nations General Assembly, said Michael Kovrig “went through hell.” She emphasized that Canada had learned a hard lesson from the detentions of Kovrig and Spavor and would not tolerate its citizens being used as geopolitical pawns.
Translated by Chua BC
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