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| China Holds Canadian on Suspicion of Stealing State Secrets | China Holds Canadian on Suspicion of Stealing State Secrets |
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| BEIJING — A Canadian man with ties to a Christian group that provides humanitarian aid to North Koreans has been formally detained by China on suspicion of stealing state secrets, while his wife, also Canadian, was released on bail after they were held for six months without charge, China’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. | |
| The couple, Kevin Garratt and Julia Dawn Garratt of Vancouver, British Columbia, ran a coffee shop in the northeastern city of Dandong, on the border with North Korea, before they were taken into custody in August by the state security bureau on suspicion of espionage. Their detention drew international condemnation and has strained ties between Canada and China. | The couple, Kevin Garratt and Julia Dawn Garratt of Vancouver, British Columbia, ran a coffee shop in the northeastern city of Dandong, on the border with North Korea, before they were taken into custody in August by the state security bureau on suspicion of espionage. Their detention drew international condemnation and has strained ties between Canada and China. |
| Hong Lei, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Mr. Garratt was moved from mandatory residential surveillance into criminal detention on Tuesday “on suspicion of stealing and spying to obtain state secrets” and that his wife was granted bail on the same day. | Hong Lei, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Mr. Garratt was moved from mandatory residential surveillance into criminal detention on Tuesday “on suspicion of stealing and spying to obtain state secrets” and that his wife was granted bail on the same day. |
| “The relevant Chinese authorities will handle the case according to the law and ensure their legitimate rights according to the law,'’ Mr. Hong said on Thursday at a daily news briefing in Beijing. “Currently, the case is undergoing further inquiries.” | “The relevant Chinese authorities will handle the case according to the law and ensure their legitimate rights according to the law,'’ Mr. Hong said on Thursday at a daily news briefing in Beijing. “Currently, the case is undergoing further inquiries.” |
| The Garratts have not been formally arrested and no charges have been filed, the family said in a statement released through their lawyer, James Zimmerman, who is based in Beijing. “No evidence of any crime has been provided to the Garratts, family members, or their lawyers of any criminal conduct,” the statement said. | The Garratts have not been formally arrested and no charges have been filed, the family said in a statement released through their lawyer, James Zimmerman, who is based in Beijing. “No evidence of any crime has been provided to the Garratts, family members, or their lawyers of any criminal conduct,” the statement said. |
| Ms. Garratt has been barred from leaving mainland China for one year. Her husband has been relocated to “a more formal detention center at an unknown location,” the statement said. | |
| The moves come amid a widening crackdown on foreign Christian organizations providing assistance to North Koreans along the politically sensitive border. | The moves come amid a widening crackdown on foreign Christian organizations providing assistance to North Koreans along the politically sensitive border. |
| The Garratts moved to Dandong, in Liaoning Province, about six years ago after living in China on and off since 1984, according to their son Simeon. There they opened Peter’s Coffee House, named for their younger son, which became a hub for the city’s expatriate community and for locals interested in improving their English. While in Dandong, the couple worked with North Star Aid, a humanitarian group focused on delivering food to North Koreans. | The Garratts moved to Dandong, in Liaoning Province, about six years ago after living in China on and off since 1984, according to their son Simeon. There they opened Peter’s Coffee House, named for their younger son, which became a hub for the city’s expatriate community and for locals interested in improving their English. While in Dandong, the couple worked with North Star Aid, a humanitarian group focused on delivering food to North Koreans. |
| Their relocation to Dandong was divinely inspired, Mr. Garratt said in a recorded sermon that had been posted on the website of the Terra Nova Church in Surrey, British Columbia, before it was removed in August. | Their relocation to Dandong was divinely inspired, Mr. Garratt said in a recorded sermon that had been posted on the website of the Terra Nova Church in Surrey, British Columbia, before it was removed in August. |
| “God said, in a prayer meeting, ‘Go to Dandong and I’ll meet you there,’ and he said start a coffee house,” Mr. Garratt said, adding that “we’re trying to reach North Korea with God, with Jesus and with practical assistance.” | “God said, in a prayer meeting, ‘Go to Dandong and I’ll meet you there,’ and he said start a coffee house,” Mr. Garratt said, adding that “we’re trying to reach North Korea with God, with Jesus and with practical assistance.” |
| On Thursday, a spokesman for Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, said: “While we welcome the recent decision to release Julia Garratt on bail, the government of Canada remains very concerned with the detention of Kevin Garratt. We have raised the case at the highest levels and will continue to raise it with senior Chinese officials.” |