Michael Kovrig

Michael Kovrig (born February 3, 1972)[1] is a Canadian geopolitical advisor, analyst, writer, and former diplomat.[2] In December 2018, he was detained in Beijing by Chinese authorities and held for 1,019 days on charges widely seen as politically-motivated and retaliatory for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.[3][4][5] On September 24, 2021, he was released and returned to Canada after the United States reached a deferred prosecution agreement with Meng.[6]

Currently, Kovrig works for the International Crisis Group (ICG) as a Senior Advisor specializing in Asia-Pacific affairs and Chinese foreign policy.[2][7]

Early life and education

Born in Toronto, Canada, Kovrig attended Royal St. George's College and later graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in 1994. He then attended Columbia University and earned a Master’s in International Affairs in 2003.[8]

Career

After graduating from the University of Toronto, Kovrig lived in Budapest, Hungary in the 1990s, working as an editor for Budapest Week, reporter for the Budapest Business Journal and as a radio news announcer for Magyar Rádió.[9][10]

In 2003, Kovrig began working as a researcher for the firm that later became Rhodium Group.[2][11] From 2003 to 2007, he worked for the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations as a Media and Communications Officer. He then transitioned to the United Nations Development Programme as a strategic communications specialist for three years, beginning in 2007.[2][11]

In 2010, he joined the Canadian Foreign Service, and served at Global Affairs Canada’s headquarters in Ottawa as a senior desk officer in the international security branch.[2][12] Kovrig was posted through Canada’s Global Security Reporting Program (GSRP) as a diplomat to the Embassy of Canada to China from 2014 to 2016, where he served as a First Secretary in the political section.[12][13][14] In 2016, he briefly served as Consul at the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong.[15][16]

Since 2017, he has worked for the International Crisis Group, a transnational non-profit focused on preventing and resolving deadly conflict through research and advocacy, as a Senior Adviser.[11][17]

He has written and advocated on various geopolitical issues, including China’s politics and international relations, the North Korean nuclear crisis, and maritime disputes in the Western Pacific.[18][19] He is a published contributor to The Globe & Mail, the South China Morning Post, Asia Times, Politico, The Diplomat, Mail & Guardian, and ChinaFile.[18][19][20][21][22][23]

Detention in China

Main article: Detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig

From December 2018 to September 2021, Kovrig, along with Michael Spavor, was detained by the Beijing State Security Bureau and held prisoner in an attempt to pressure the Government of Canada into releasing the Chief Financial Officer of Huawei, Meng Wanzhou.[3][4][5][6] The Chinese government accused Kovrig of “spying into state secrets and internal information” and put him on trial in March 2021. The proceedings were widely criticized as a show trial, and the court never announced a verdict or sentence for Kovrig.[13][24][25][26][27][28][29]

The Canadian and U.S. governments, ICG, and Kovrig himself have all asserted that the groundless charges were politically motivated and that Kovrig was an innocent political hostage.[24]

On September 24, 2021, hours after the United States reached a deferred prosecution agreement with Meng and she was released from house arrest in Vancouver, Kovrig was released on bail without being sentenced, deported from China and flown back to Canada.[17]

In a 2024 interview, Kovrig said that he was subjected to “total isolation and relentless interrogation for six to nine hours every day” and “spent his first five months of detainment in solitary confinement with blackout blinds over the windows.[3][6] Kovrig also stated that “Chinese officials used a ‘whole host of psychological manipulation techniques’ to try to coerce a confession out of him, including cutting his food rations”.[6]

Personal life

He was previously married to Vina Nadjibulla.[8] Kovrig is fluent in English, French, and Mandarin Chinese.[2][30]

From 1996 to 1999, Kovrig was a vocalist in the Hungarian punk rock band Bankrupt.[31] His stage name was Michael K., a reference to Kafka's novel The Trial,[32] which is one of the books he requested when he was granted a virtual visit from the Canadian ambassador while in detention in China.[33] On July 15, 2021, Bankrupt released the song “Pekingi nyár” (Beijing Summer) and its English-language version “The Plane To Toronto” in protest of his detention.[32] The band announced that all proceeds from the song were to be donated to Hostage International, at the request of Kovrig’s family.[34]

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Michael Kovrig". Crisis Group. 2017-02-20. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  3. ^ a b c Peter Zimonjic (September 23, 2024). "'From hell to limbo': Michael Kovrig describes more than a thousand days as China's prisoner". CBC. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "'Human beings are not bartering chips': Biden calls for China to release 2 Michaels - National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  5. ^ a b Stephen McDonell (June 19, 2020). "Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor: China charges Canadians with spying". BBC. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d Stephanie Ha (September 23, 2024). "'They're never going to see me cry': Michael Kovrig shares experience of more than 1,000 days in Chinese detainment". CTV. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  7. ^ Scott Kennedy (September 29, 2021). "Beijing Suffers Major Loss from Its Hostage Diplomacy". CSIS. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Joe O'Connor (July 9, 2020). "Captive in China: Michael Kovrig, the older brother who didn't come back". National Post. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  9. ^ "China Releases Canadian-Hungarian Kovrig after 1,000 + Days in Custody". Hungary Today. September 27, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "Experience". LinkeIn. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Chris Buckley; Jane Perlez (December 11, 2018). "Former Canadian Diplomat Detained in China, Adding to Tensions". New York Times. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Experience". LinkedIn. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Jeff Semple; Saba Aziz (September 23, 2024). "Michael Kovrig reflects on 'brutally hard' Chinese detention: 'You're totally alone'". Global News. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  14. ^ Cecco, Leyland (21 December 2023). "Canada intelligence operation put diplomats in legal 'grey zone' – report". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  15. ^ Bodeen, Christopher (13 December 2018). "What to know about the 2 Canadians detained in China". CTVNews. AP. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Michael Kovrig: Canadian ex-diplomat 'held in China'". BBC News. 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  17. ^ a b Tonda MacCharles (December 7, 2021). "An exhausted diplomat and two ecstatic ex-hostages: Inside the emotional flight that brought the 'two Michaels' home". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Michael Kovrig (September 21, 2017). "What Will China Do if the U.S. Attacks North Korea?". China File. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Michael Kovrig (May 13, 2018). "How a long-awaited hotline could pave the way for calmer China-Japan relations". SCMP. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  20. ^ Michael Kovrig (January 30, 2024). "China's abductions of foreign nationals should carry costs and consequences". Politico. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  21. ^ Michael Kovrig (April 11, 2018). "Why China should help solve Venezuela's deepening crisis". Asia Times. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  22. ^ Michael Kovrig (24 October 2018). "China's expanding military footprint in Africa". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  23. ^ Michael Kovrig (July 24, 2018). "National Ambitions Meet Local Opposition Along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor". The Diplomat. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Jeff Semple (November 24, 2023). "Michael Kovrig denies his Chinese detention was due to alleged 'espionage'". Global News. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  25. ^ Chris Buckley; Catherine Porter (March 4, 2019). "China Accuses Two Canadians of Spying, Widening a Political Rift". New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  26. ^ "Prison term raises pressure on Canada and US in high-stakes China standoff". The Guardian. August 11, 2021. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  27. ^ Xiao, Eva (August 11, 2021). "China Sentences Canadian Citizen to 11 Years for Espionage in Case at Heart of Diplomatic Standoff". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  28. ^ Dawson, Tyler (April 18, 2020). "No visitors for Michael Kovrig, Michael Spavor due to COVID-19 as 500th day in Chinese prison nears | National Post". National Post. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  29. ^ Clarke, Donald. "Opinion | China is holding two Canadians as hostages. It's not even denying it". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  30. ^ Chris Buckley; Jane Perlez (December 11, 2018). "Former Canadian Diplomat Detained in China, Adding to Tensions". NY Times. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  31. ^ Liz Braun (August 3, 2021). "Budapest rockers want old bandmate, Michael Kovrig, set free". Toronto Sun. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  32. ^ a b Griffiths, James (3 August 2021). "'Hold on, please, we're gonna get you home': Michael Kovrig's old punk band joins campaign for his release". The Globe and Mail.
  33. ^ "Michael Kovrig, former hostage of the Chinese state". Economist. October 4, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  34. ^ Zrt, HVG Kiadó (July 16, 2021). "Kínában ártatlanul börtönbe került volt énekeséről írt dalt a Bankrupt". hvg.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.

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