Canada and 57 Countries Issue Statement Condemning Arbitrary Detention of Foreign Nationals

Canada and 57 other countries have signed a statement condemning the arbitrary detention of foreign nationals. While no specific country is named in the statement, a Canadian government official stated that it was prepared due to the conduct of Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea.

Foreign ministers from 58 countries have signed a non-binding statement against “the use of arbitrary detention in relations between states,” which according to Canada’s foreign minister condemns the “unacceptable behavior” of some countries. The statement, initiated by Canada, has also been signed by the foreign ministers of Germany, Britain, the United States, Australia, and Japan.

Marc Garneau, Canada’s new foreign minister, said regarding the arbitrary detention of foreign nationals: “Separating individuals from their families and using them as bargaining chips is both illegal and immoral.”

While no specific country is named in the statement, a Canadian official told Reuters that the primary reason for this initiative is “concern about countries such as China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea that detain foreign nationals.”

Prior to the official release of the statement, a Chinese state newspaper called it “an aggressive and reckless move” designed to “provoke” China. Ottawa is engaged in a legal dispute with Beijing over two Canadian nationals who were detained in 2018. Their detention occurred after Vancouver police arrested a senior Huawei executive on an American warrant.

Canada has described this action as “hostage diplomacy” and has condemned it, but China claims the two cases are unrelated.

A Canadian official, who requested anonymity, told Reuters that the statement could increase pressure on Beijing. He added: “We want them to feel some discomfort. We want them to know that many countries find this behavior unacceptable and hope that over time it will lead to a change in their conduct.”

Last December, the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee condemned “the arbitrary detention of foreign nationals” by the Islamic Republic and called it “hostage-taking.”

Currently, a large number of Iranian dual nationals are mostly in prison on charges of espionage. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Baquer and Siamak Namazi, Fariba Kamalkhah, and Nahid Taghavi are among these individuals.

The Islamic Republic has previously released several Iranian-American nationals in exchange for the freedom of Iranian prisoners in America. In December of this year, three Iranian prisoners who were imprisoned in Thailand on charges of terrorist activities were released in exchange for the freedom of Kylie Moore Gilbert, an Australian citizen detained in Iran.

Source: DW