Michael Kovrig, one of two Canadian citizens detained by China for over 1,000 days on alleged spying charges, has spoken out about the harsh conditions he endured during his detention, which he described as psychological torture. In his first in-depth interview since his release, Kovrig detailed months of solitary confinement, daily interrogations, and the emotional toll of being cut off from his family.
Kovrig and fellow Canadian Michael Spavor were detained in December 2018 shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei, in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition request for fraud charges. The timing of the arrests led to widespread speculation that the two Canadians were detained in retaliation, sparking a diplomatic standoff between China and Canada that would last nearly three years.
Despite repeated denials from Beijing, many observers saw the detentions of Kovrig and Spavor as politically motivated, leading to the pair being dubbed “The Two Michaels” in the media. China accused them of spying, but did not publicly disclose any evidence, and their trials were held behind closed doors.
In his interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Kovrig, a former diplomat working as a senior advisor for the International Crisis Group think tank, described how he was seized by Chinese authorities in December 2018 while walking home with his pregnant partner in Beijing. He was handcuffed, blindfolded, and taken to a padded cell where he was held in solitary confinement for nearly six months. According to Kovrig, the cell had no natural light, and fluorescent lights were kept on 24 hours a day.
For the duration of his confinement, Kovrig faced daily interrogations lasting up to nine hours. He described this relentless questioning, combined with complete isolation, as “psychologically, absolutely the most grueling, painful thing I’ve ever been through.” At one point, his food ration was reduced to just three bowls of rice a day.
Kovrig emphasized that United Nations guidelines state that solitary confinement should not exceed 15 consecutive days, as extended isolation is considered a form of psychological torture. His confinement, which lasted nearly six months, went far beyond this threshold.
Kovrig and Spavor were released in September 2021 on the same day that the U.S. Justice Department dropped its extradition request for Meng Wanzhou, allowing her to return to China. Their simultaneous release reinforced the perception that the two Canadians had been detained in retaliation for Meng’s arrest, although China continued to deny any connection between the cases. Chinese officials maintained that Kovrig and Spavor had been detained for “endangering China’s national security” and that their cases were handled in accordance with Chinese law.
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