Politics
4 Canadians have been executed by China this year, Ottawa says TenX News
The federal government says it “strongly condemns” the execution of four Canadians in China earlier this year over what Beijing says were “drug-related crimes.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly confirmed the number to reporters outside a cabinet meeting in Ottawa late on Wednesday, after Global Affairs Canada said it was aware that multiple Canadians had been put to death in China this year.
“There are four Canadians that have been executed,” she said. “We strongly condemn what happened, and of course our hearts and minds are with the families.”
The minister said all four were dual Canadian-Chinese citizens but would not share further details about the victims or their cases to honour their families’ request for privacy.
Joly said she and former prime minister Justin Trudeau had personally appealed to the Chinese government for leniency in the Canadians’ sentences. She said she was in touch last week with Canadian officials in China and Ottawa offering assistance to the families.
“We will continue to engage with China as we continue to not only strongly condemn but also ask for leniency for other Canadians facing a similar situation,” she said.
Global Affairs Canada has previously declined to confirm how many Canadians had been executed in China this year or when the executions had taken place.
“Canada strongly condemns China’s use of the death penalty, which is irreversible and inconsistent with basic human dignity,” spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod said in an emailed statement.
The Chinese Embassy in Canada defended its use of the death penalty in a separate statement to Global News, adding that Chinese authorities “fully guaranteed the rights and interests of the Canadian nationals concerned.”
“China always imposes severe penalties on drug-related crimes and maintains a ‘zero tolerance’ attitude towards the drug problem,” the statement said. “The facts of the crimes committed by the Canadian nationals involved in the cases are clear, and the evidence is solid and sufficient.
“We urge the Canadian side to respect the rule of law and China’s judicial sovereignty, stop making irresponsible remarks, work in the same direction with China, and jointly promote the improvement and development of China-Canada relations with concrete actions.”
The embassy did not specify what crimes the Canadians allegedly committed or provide details on their identities. Joly would say if China has provided evidence to support the charges, but acknowledged the Canadians had been accused of “criminal activities, according to China, linked to drugs.”
The executions were first reported by the Globe and Mail, which said it had learned about them earlier this week.
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Ottawa confirmed that Robert Schellenberg of Abbotsford, B.C., who was arrested in 2014 on drug smuggling charges and was sentenced to death years later, was not one of the Canadians executed.
“Canada continues to advocate for clemency for Robert Schellenberg and provides him and his family consular assistance,” McLeod said.
A Global Affairs Canada official speaking on background said Canada is aware of approximately 100 Canadian citizens currently being detained by China.
China leads the world in executions, putting more prisoners to death than any other country in the world combined, according to Amnesty International.
“These shocking and inhumane executions of Canadian citizens by Chinese authorities should be a wake-up call for Canada,” Amnesty International Canada secretary-general Ketty Nivyabandi said in a statement.
The exact number of executions in China is unknown as it is classified as a state secret, but more than 1,000 are believed to have been carried out in 2022 alone. More than 2,000 have been reported by human rights groups and researchers in previous years.
The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide says “possibly thousands” of people are believed to be on death row in China at any one time, but added many prisoners are executed within two months of their sentence.
Death sentences and executions reported in the media “are a fraction” of those imposed or carried out, the organization adds.
China ‘not in the mood’ to make concessions or offer clemency
Guy Saint-Jacques, who previously served as Canada’s ambassador to China, told Global News the Canadian government was unable to stop China from executing two Canadians of Chinese origin on drug trafficking charges during his tenure.
He said in 2015, both former prime minister Stephen Harper and former governor general David Johnston personally appealed to Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping, to ask for clemency on the eve of one of the executions, to no avail.
“Despite all those pleas, the Chinese proceeded with the execution,” he said.
“I would say that our interventions at best delayed the execution maybe by one year.”
At least four Canadians were sentenced to death for alleged drug smuggling crimes between 2019 and 2020, including Schellenberg, whose sentence was upgraded in 2019 from 15 years in prison after a retrial.
At the time, relations between Ottawa and Beijing were at a low point due to the Canadian detention of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, and China’s subsequent holding of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
The other three prisoners — Ye Jianhui, Xu Weihong and Fan Wei — are of Chinese descent and their status is not known.
Despite efforts to improve relations since 2021, when Wanzhou and the “Two Michaels” were released, tensions have emerged again after Canada imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and related components, which has sparked retaliation from China.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has also called on Canada to take more action against China over fentanyl and efforts to enter the North American auto market.
Trump’s own actions against China, including aggressive tariffs, had led some analysts to believe Beijing may be looking to stabilize relations with other trading partners like Canada.
“This, to me, signals that China is not in the mood to make any concessions, and maybe that is not something that China’s interested in doing right now with Canada,” Vina Nadjibulla, vice-president of research and strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, told Global News.
“I don’t foresee a significant improvement given these signals that we’re getting from China.”
Late last year, Ottawa sanctioned eight Chinese officials it accused of “grave human rights violations” against ethnic and religious minorities, including Uyghurs, and voiced concern about democracy in Hong Kong.
Beijing angrily accused Canada of hypocrisy, citing its historical treatment of Indigenous peoples.
“We are at a tough time in the relationship,” said Saint-Jacques, who added there was a possibility for a reset after a Canadian federal election this year.
He said Canada must partner with other like-minded countries and continue to pressure China to “modernize its practices” and abolish the death penalty, while warning Canadians of the potential risk they face.
“The message that we have to reinforce with Canadians is, if you travel to China, you better not to engage in drug trafficking, and by all means travel with a Canadian passport if you want to have consular access,” he said.
—With files from Global’s Marc-Andre Cossette
Politics
UK refuses to invite Israeli government officials to London arms fair over the war in Gaza – National TenX News
The U.K. has barred Israeli government officials from attending the country’s biggest arms fair over growing concern about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The decision does not cover representatives of Israeli defense contractors, who will be allowed to attend the DSEI UK exhibition, scheduled for Sept. 9-12 in London. The event was formerly known as Defense and Security Equipment International.
“The Israeli Government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong,” the British government said in a statement. “As a result, we can confirm that no Israeli government delegation will be invited to attend DSEI UK 2025.”
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The decision comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel takes steps to end the crisis in Gaza, agrees to a ceasefire with Hamas and commits to a long-term peace agreement. Britain previously barred sales to Israel of any arms that could be used in the nearly 23-month war in Gaza.
Israel’s Defense Ministry said the decision was based on politics and “serves extremists.”
“These restrictions amount to a deliberate and regrettable act of discrimination against Israel’s representatives,” the ministry said.
The Israeli ministry said it would withdraw from the exhibition and will not establish a national pavilion.
Pro-Palestinian and anti-war groups have announced plans to for protests during DSEI, which will take place at the Excel center in east London.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Politics
Israel soon will halt or slow aid to northern Gaza as military offensive grows – National TenX News
Israel will soon halt or slow humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza as it expands its military offensive against Hamas, an official said Saturday, a day after Gaza City was declared a combat zone.
The decision was likely to bring more condemnation of Israel’s government as frustration grows in the country and abroad over dire conditions for both Palestinians and remaining hostages in Gaza after nearly 23 months of war.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, told The Associated Press that Israel will stop airdrops over Gaza City in the coming days and reduce the number of aid trucks arriving in the north as it prepares to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people south.
Israel on Friday ended recently imposed daytime pauses in fighting to allow aid delivery, describing Gaza City as a Hamas stronghold and alleging that a tunnel network remains in use, despite previous large-scale raids. The United Nations and partners have said the pauses, airdrops and other measures fell far short of the 600 trucks of aid needed daily in Gaza.
A ‘massive population movement’ coming
AP video footage showed several large explosions across Gaza overnight. Israel’s military Saturday evening said it had struck a key Hamas member in the area of Gaza City, with no details.
In recent days, Israel’s military has increased strikes on the outskirts of Gaza City, where famine was recently documented and declared by global food security experts.
By Saturday there had been no airdrops for several days across Gaza, a break from almost daily ones. Israel’s army didn’t respond to a request for comment or say how it would provide aid to Palestinians during another major shift in Gaza’s population of over 2 million people.
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“Such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb, given the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the extreme shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care,” Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said in a statement.
It’s impossible that a mass evacuation of Gaza City can be done in a safe and dignified way, she said.
Hundreds of residents have begun leaving Gaza City, piling their remaining possessions onto pickup trucks or donkey carts. Many have been forced to leave their homes more than once.
Killed while seeking food
Israeli gunfire killed four people trying to get aid in central Gaza, according to health officials at Al-Awda Hospital, were the bodies were taken.
An Israeli strike on a bakery in Gaza City’s Nasr neighborhood killed 12 people including six women and three children, the Shifa Hospital director told the AP, and a strike on the Rimal neighborhood killed seven.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said another 10 people died as a result of starvation and malnutrition over the past 24 hours, including three children. It said at least 332 Palestinians have died from malnutrition-related causes during the war, including 124 children.
At least 63,371 Palestinians have died in Gaza during the war, said the ministry, which does not say how many are fighters or civilians but says around half have been women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.
“There is no food and even water is not available. When it is available, it is not safe to drink,” said Amer Zayed, as he waited for food from a charity kitchen in Deir al-Balah on Friday.
“The suffering gets worse when there are more displaced people,” he added.
Israelis rally again to demand a ceasefire deal
Israelis waited to hear the identity of the remains of a hostage that Israel on Friday said had been recovered in Gaza. It also said it recovered the remains of hostage Ilan Weiss.
Forty-eight hostages now remain in Gaza of the over 250 seized in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war. Israel had believed 20 are still alive.
Their loved ones fear the expanding military offensive will put them in even more danger, and they were rallying again Saturday to demand a ceasefire deal to bring everyone home.
“Netanyahu, if another living hostage comes back in a bag, it will not only be the hostages and their families who pay the price. You will bear responsibility for premeditated murder,” Zahiro Shahar Mor, nephew of hostage Avraham Munder, said in Tel Aviv.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
The Trump administration said Friday it was denying and revoking U.S. visas from members of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
That comes ahead of next month’s United Nations General Assembly, where Canada and several other countries have said they intend to officially recognize a Palestinian state.
The U.S. State Department cited the groups’ efforts to secure statehood recognition at the UN, along with their appeals to the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice to investigate alleged Israeli crimes in Gaza, as reasons for the decision by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Both steps materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks,” the department said in a statement.
“The Trump Administration has been clear: it is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace.”
The statement did not name the officials being denied entry. It was not immediately clear if the list included Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who was expected to travel to New York for the UN gathering.
The Palestinians’ ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, told reporters at the UN headquarters that they were checking exactly what the U.S. move means “and how it applies to any of our delegation, and we will respond accordingly.”
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Representatives assigned to the Palestinian Authority mission at the UN, led by Mansour, will be granted waivers so they can continue their New York-based operations, the U.S. statement said.
Mansour said Abbas still intends to lead the delegation to the high-level meetings and is expected to address the General Assembly — as he has done for many years — and to attend a meeting on the afternoon of Sept. 22 on a two-state solution co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to New York and address the general assembly on Sept. 23, the White House said on Thursday.
Canada, Britain, Australia and France in recent weeks have announced or signalled their intention to recognize a Palestinian state during the meeting.
The countries have said their recognition is conditional on the Palestinian Authority — which has limited self-rule over parts of the occupied West Bank and has for years been positioning itself as a legitimate government alternative to Hamas in Gaza — undergoing reforms and new elections.
Abbas has signalled he will co-operate with the Western nations’ demands.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization is an internationally recognized coalition that represents Palestinian people in its occupied territories and abroad.
The Trump administration has staunchly backed Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. The U.S. has also refused to condemn expanded Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Canada and other allies have said undermine two-state solution efforts.
Rubio hosted Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in Washington on Wednesday “to reaffirm our two nations’ close cooperation,” the U.S. secretary said in a post on X.
Saar, asked after the meeting what the plan was for a Palestinian state, said there would not be any.
The Israeli minister on Friday thanked Rubio for holding the PA and PLO “accountable for rewarding terrorism, incitement and efforts to use legal warfare against Israel” in a social media statement.
Officials with the Palestinian Authority reject that they’ve undermined peace prospects.
Under the 1947 UN “headquarters agreement,” the U.S. is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York. But Washington has said it can deny visas for security, terrorism and foreign policy reasons.
Hamas earlier this month said it had accepted a U.S.-backed proposal on a ceasefire in Gaza that would see the release of some hostages in exchange for talks with Israel that would end the conflict and see the return of all remaining hostages.
But Israel has said it will only accept the full return of all the hostages and has pressed ahead with a plan to occupy Gaza City, which international monitors like the UN have warned could worsen a famine already afflicting the Palestinian territory.
Rubio last week announced sanctions against multiple International Criminal Court judges and prosecutors involved in the court’s investigation into Israel’s actions in Gaza and the issuing of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
—With files from Reuters
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
UK refuses to invite Israeli government officials to London arms fair over the war in Gaza – National TenX News
Israel soon will halt or slow aid to northern Gaza as military offensive grows – National TenX News
U.S. scraps Palestinian officials’ visas ahead of UN General Assembly – National TenX News
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