Statement by Canada and 57 countries condemning arbitrary detention of foreign nationals

Canada and 57 other countries have signed a statement condemning the arbitrary detention of foreign nationals. The statement did not name any specific country, but a Canadian government official said it was prompted by the actions 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 inter-state relations,” which Canada’s foreign minister said condemned “unacceptable behavior” by some countries. The statement, which was initiated by Canada, was also signed by the foreign ministers of Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Japan.

Canada's new Foreign Minister Marc Garneau has said about the arbitrary detention of foreign nationals: "Separating people from their families and using them as bargaining chips is both illegal and immoral."

The statement did not name any specific country, but a Canadian official told Reuters the initial reason for the plan was "concerns about countries like China, Iran, Russia and North Korea that arrest foreign nationals."

Before the statement was officially released, a Chinese state-run newspaper called it an “aggressive and reckless move” designed to “provoke” China. Ottawa is in a legal battle with Beijing over two Canadian citizens who were arrested in 2018. The arrests came after Vancouver police arrested a senior Huawei executive on a US warrant.

Canada has called this action "hostage diplomacy" and condemned it, but China claims that the two cases are unrelated.

The statement could increase pressure on Beijing, a Canadian official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We want them to feel a little uncomfortable. We want them to know that a lot of countries find this behavior unacceptable, and hopefully that will lead to a change in their behavior over time," he added.

In December of last year, the British House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee condemned the Islamic Republic's "arbitrary detention of foreign nationals," calling it "hostage-taking."

Currently, a large number of dual Iranian citizens are in prison, often on espionage charges. These include Nazanin Zaghari, Bagher and Siamak Namazi, Fariba Kamalkhah, and Nahid Taghavi.

The Islamic Republic has so far released several Iranian-American citizens in exchange for the release of Iranian prisoners in the United States. In December of this year, three Iranian prisoners imprisoned in Thailand for terrorist acts were released in exchange for the release of Kylie Moore Gilbert, an Australian citizen imprisoned in Iran.

Source: DW