Break-in at jailed Chinese tech CFO's house in Canada, pending extradition to the US

RT
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 02:30 UTC

© Reuters / David Ryder

The Alouette Correctional Centre for Women, where Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is being held.

Police have responded to a break-in at the Vancouver house said to belong to the husband of Meng Wanzhou, the detained Huawei CFO who says she is suffering from health problems in a Canadian jail.

Police collected evidence at the scene of the break-in but made no arrests, according to local media sources. There are no details yet available about the number of people involved, nor the motivation for the break-in, particularly whether it is related to the high-profile international arrest of the home-owner's wife, who is pending extradition to the United States.

The police said that they received a 911 call around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday about the break-in attempt. The suspects fled the scene, allegedly after scuffling with an unidentified person who was in the house at the time.

The break-in occurred on Sunday, the same day Meng released an affidavit seeking to be released on bail because of health fears. She says she is suffering from hypertension and was even taken to hospital after being detained.

© Reuters / David Ryder

Home of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver Canada

Earlier, Chinese state press Xinhua released a new statement which reiterated Beijing's demand that Meng be released on bond, also saying she suffers "high-blood pressure, sleeping disorders, and is still in recovery from a neck surgery in May", and has been unable to get the "necessary humanitarian accommodation" for these problems from Canada.

"Canada keeps boasting of is "human rights," but in this case, one can barely claim that Meng's right has been respected," they add, claiming that Canada has "set a dangerous precedent" by treating a Chinese citizen like a criminal before trial or conviction, with "humiliation and disrespect".

They also slammed Canada for "paying the bill for America's bullying actions."

"Canada's misdeeds, which are lawless, unreasonable and callous, have caused serious damage to its relations with China."

On a more personal level Xinhua said Canada's actions had "hurt the Chinese people's feelings."

Meng, a Chinese national and CFO at Chinese communications giant Huawei, is currently being held at a Canadian jail following her arrest on December 1st, having been accused by the US of violating sanctions against Iran in the early 2010s. Meng and her family have resided in Canada for years and had even achieved permanent resident status.

Comment: They've waited 8 years to arrest her? And this, just as US and China trade war was, according the Chinese at least, cooling down?

Meng's treatment threatens to deal a blow to the shaky truce between China and the US in their ongoing trade war, agreed just days before the CFO was arrested. Washington claims Huawei has ties to the Chinese government and its electronics are being used for spying.

China quickly condemned the arrest in strong terms on state media, denying the charges outright and demanding that Canada release Meng, even threatening a "heavy price" if Canadian authorities fall to comply.

Comment: Global Times reports that the US seems to be lacking any substantial evidence for her conviction, which may provides clues as to the break in:

Canada's treatment of Meng Wanzhou in violation of human rights

© Reuters

Meng Wanzhou

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, had her bail hearing Friday in the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver, Canada. The hearing was adjourned with no decision made on bail, and will resume at 1 pm on Monday.

Court reporters said she was not handcuffed for the hearing and was wearing a green sweatsuit. She seems to be getting humane treatment, but these are only illusions on the surface.

A source familiar with the case told Global Times that since Meng was detained by Canadian police on December 1, she has been subjected to rude and degrading treatment. She was immediately handcuffed at the airport and taken to a detention facility. She was also cuffed on her way to and from hospital from the facility. It is worth noting that Meng was wearing ankle braces when she was taken to the correction center after her first bail hearing.

In the absence of a conviction by trial, Meng was put into restraining devices used on felons. Treating her as a prisoner is not only degrading, but is also a violation of her basic human rights.

Global Times has learnt that Meng had surgery in May to remove her thyroid gland. She also has high blood pressure which requires daily medication. It seems that the Canadian detention facility is not offering her the necessary health care.

Canadian police have treated Meng in such an inhumane way by putting her in handcuffs and ankle braces without conviction. The Chinese public, who are very concerned about this matter, find it hard to believe that Meng was treated in such way, especially in Canada. Canada is a country well-known for emphasizing human rights and the rule of law. How can they do such things that are only done in an uncivilized and barbaric country?

There is no doubt that Canada is on the wrong side in this case. To describe with an old Chinese saying, such behaviors are like holding a candle for the devil. Meng did not violate any Canadian law. US authorities are accusing her of violating US domestic laws, but it is still unknown if the US side can provide sufficient evidence to prove their accusations are valid.

The Canadian prosecution accused Meng of being a director in a subsidiary that was decoupled from Huawei, and that the company has sold computer equipment to Iran in violation of US sanctions on Iran. There is huge controversy over the facts as stated by the prosecution. In any case, even if the US found some so-called evidence, the nature of such a case still leaves a lot of room for legal debate.

As of now, most of the cases concerning foreign companies violating US bans on Iran have been dealt with by fines and sanctions. And it is not just one or two companies - many European companies have been involved. The EU still encourages European companies not to withdraw from Iran. Does that mean executives from these companies should all be arrested and put into detention in Canada when they transit through the country, and should they all be handcuffed?

It is time for Canadian authorities to figure out the reasons why Ms Meng is the only wanted member of the board of Skycom, a company based in Hong Kong, accused by the US of violating sanctions.

Canada is an independent sovereign nation. Although its relationship with the US is quite special, it should remain neutral in dealing with Meng's case, and not simply do whatever the US has told it to do. It is important for Canada to respect the fundamental spirit of justice and law while providing judicial assistance to the US. It should resolutely reject the possible impact of the long-term bias of the US on Huawei and Huawei's founder Ren Zhengfei in this case.

It does not serve Canada's national interest if it intends to fawn over the US by treating Ms Meng unjustly. If Meng is refused bail and extradited to the US, Canada will get minimal gratitude from the US, but maximum opposition from China. Chinese people will take the issue seriously, and will ask the Chinese government to impose severe sanctions on Canada. Canadian public interest will definitely be impaired if Sino-Canadian relations are put at a risk of major retrogression.

We hope that Canadian authorities handle the case seriously and properly. We also hope that Ms Meng will be treated humanely and will be bailed out. We would like to see Meng's case being handled properly, so that she can regain her freedom as soon as possible.

Chinese society has always respected Canada, and it is sincerely hoped that the way how Canadian authorities handle this matter will live up to Chinese people's expectation and impressions regarding the country.

RFE/RL reports what action China has taking thus far:

China Summons U.S. Ambassador As Huawei Defends Iran Operations

China has summoned the U.S. ambassador to Beijing to protest the detention by Canada of a senior Chinese electronics executive at the request of the United States.

Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng on December 9 "lodged solemn representations and strong protests" with Ambassador Terry Branstad in regard to the detention of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of electronics giant Huawei.

According to the official Xinhua news agency, Le called Meng's detention "extremely egregious" and demanded that the United States cancel her arrest warrant or face further steps by Beijing.

Chinese authorities had summoned the Canadian ambassador a day earlier and issued similar warnings.

[...]

In a sworn affidavit released in Canada, Meng insisted she is innocent of the allegations and that she will fight them in a U.S. court if she is extradited there.

In court documents, Huawei asserted that its operations in Iran were "in strict compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and sanctions" of the United States, European Union, and the UN.

For more on the story, see:

• 'Arrogant jingoist policy': Lavrov blasts Washington's 'revolting' request to arrest Huawei CFO
• China summons Canadian ambassador over detention of Huawei exec Meng Wanzhou