A Canadian detained for over 1,000 days details 'mental' torment experienced in Chinese imprisonment.
Labeled "Michaels," Kovrig and another Canadian, Michael Spavor, were at the center of a contentious dispute between Beijing and Ottawa that has continued to strain diplomatic ties.
"It was psychologically, undeniably, the most grueling, painful experience I've ever gone through," Kovrig told CBC News in his first comprehensive public remarks since being discharged from a Chinese prison three years ago.
Kovrig recalled that he was with his pregnant partner on December 10, 2018, returning home from dinner in Beijing, when Chinese authorities apprehended him.
"We ascended a spiral staircase right in front of the plaza in front of my apartment building, and boom," Kovrig remembered. "There were a dozen men in black, with cameras, encircling us, shouting in Chinese, 'That's him.'"
Kovrig, a former diplomat working as a senior advisor for the International Crisis Group think tank, was detained simultaneously with Spavor, a Canadian consultant who had extensive ties to North Korea, on charges of espionage.
Their case sparked a three-year diplomatic standoff that began when Canadian authorities apprehended Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei, in Vancouver on US fraud charges earlier that month.
Kovrig and Spavor were released only after US prosecutors withdrew the extradition request and agreed to release Meng in late 2020.
Beijing persistently denied any connection between Meng's arrest and the Michaels' detentions, stating that Kovrig and Spavor were released on health bail.
Chinese officials did not publicly present evidence against Spavor or Kovrig, nor did they disclose any details about their trials, which were held in secret.
“Shiver ran down my spine”
After his detention, Kovrig told CBC News he was handcuffed, blindfolded, and thrown into a black SUV, then taken to a padded cell, which would be his dwelling for the subsequent six months.
"At that point, they said, 'You are under suspicion of endangering China's state security. You are going to be interrogated,'" Kovrig said.
"A shiver ran down my spine."
Kovrig claimed to have been subjected to complete isolation in a cell illuminated by fluorescent lighting for six months, in violation of UN standards. He was interrogated for six to nine hours daily, chained to a chair for hours on end, and was sometimes forced to survive on only three bowls of rice each day.
"They are attempting to intimidate, torment, terrify, and coerce you into accepting their distorted version of reality," Kovrig said.
CNN reached out to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.
After six months, Kovrig was transferred to a larger cell with plexiglass windows, where he shared space with a dozen cellmates.
"That was almost like moving from hell to purgatory," Kovrig said.
Kovrig and Spavor were released in September 2021. Kovrig stepped off the plane in Toronto and embraced his estranged wife, Vina Nadjibulla, who had tirelessly advocated for his release, in a poignant moment that resonated across the country.
He also met his daughter, who his partner had given birth to while Kovrig was imprisoned, for the first time. He described the encounter as "the most magnificent, heartwarming sensation you could imagine."
"I'll never forget that sensation of awe, of everything being new and wonderful once more, of pushing my daughter on a swing and hearing her say to her mother, 'Mummy, I'm so happy.'"
In response to the global attention surrounding their case, China defended its actions towards Kovrig and Spavor, asserting that they were released on health bail.
Despite being released, Kovrig and Spavor's ordeal had a significant impact on international relations, particularly between China and the world.
