China executed four Canadian citizens for drug-related offenses earlier this year, despite multiple pleas for clemency from Canadian officials, according to Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly condemned the executions, stating that both she and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had requested leniency in each case.
Joly did not disclose further details about the individuals, citing privacy requests from their families.
Charlotte MacLeod, spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, confirmed that the government would continue to support the families with consular assistance and reiterated Canada’s strong opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances.
Though executions of Westerners in China are rare, the four Canadians were also dual Chinese citizens a status that Beijing does not recognize.
In response, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa told Canadian media that the individuals had received a fair trial and due process in line with Chinese law.
The embassy also emphasized that those who violate Chinese law must be held accountable.
Amnesty International Canada’s Ketty Nivyabandi described the executions as “shocking and inhumane,” calling them a wake-up call for Canada to reassess its relationship with China.
Currently, about 100 Canadians are detained in China, many facing charges related to drugs.
One notable case is that of Robert Schellenberg, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2014 but later had his sentence upgraded to the death penalty in 2019 after a retrial.
The strained relations between Canada and China began after the 2018 arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of U.S. authorities, followed by the detention of two Canadians in China on espionage charges.
Tensions have further escalated due to allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian elections and recent trade disputes.
Earlier this month, China imposed tariffs on Canadian agricultural products after Canada imposed a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles last year.
Peter Humphrey, a former British investigator who advocates for foreign detainees in China, called the rapid sequence of executions of foreign nationals “absolutely unprecedented.”
