加拿大被中国扣押人士Kevin Garratt被释放

 

因涉嫌间谍罪被中国扣押的加国传教士Kevin Garratt在被中国当局关押两年后被突然释放并于本周四回到温哥华。Garratt的被释是加国政府，加国驻中国使馆及两位加国总理之竭力营救和不懈之努力之成果。

Two years after being detained by the Chinese authorities on suspicion of spying, Canadian Missionary Kevin Garratt was suddenly released and landed in Vancouver on Thursday. His release has highlighted the relentless and extraordinary efforts made by the Canadian government, Canadian embassy in Beijing and the two Prime Ministers. 

在被关押期间，Garratt身体每况愈下。他被关押在一间电灯从不关闭的房间内，得了心跳不齐。中国关押Garratt被广泛视为对加拿大逮捕苏斌的报复。苏斌是一位中国商人因涉嫌偷窃美国战斗机情报被加国当局逮捕。苏对其在一黑客行动中与中国军事官员勾结盗取情报供认不讳之后，被判处在美国监狱中服刑46个月。

In detention, Mr. Garratt’s health deteriorated.  He was locked in a room with lights never turned off and developed irregular heartbeat. His detention was widely seen as retribution for Canada’s arrest of Su Bin, a Chinese businessman arrested in Canada on suspicion of stealing U.S. fighter-jet secrets. Mr. Su was sentenced to 46 months in US prison after pleading guilty to conspiring with Chinese military officers in a hacking scheme.

Garratt的释放恰恰是在北京对待人权激进分子强硬态度出现缓和之际。在最近的几个月里，当局同意将一名绝食抗议的人权律师转移至一所新监狱，而且提前释放了一名关押在狱中的牧师，还有另外一名因为在天安门广场抗议、第五次服刑的政治犯。

 

Garratt’s release, however, comes at a time when Beijing seems softening its tones towards human rights activists. In recent months, authorities have agreed to move a human-rights lawyer to a new prison after he went on a hunger strike, and given early release both to an imprisoned pastor and a man serving his fifth prison sentence for political activism that dates back to the Tiananmen Square protests.