Hong Kong (CNN) Two Canadian citizens charged with espionage in China will go on trial Friday and Monday, more than two years after they were first detained. In a statement Thursday , Canada's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marc Garneau, said the country's embassy in Beijing "has been notified that court hearings for Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are scheduled to take place on March 19 and March 22, respectively." The two Canadians have been detained since December 2018 and were charged in June last year with spying. Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat who worked for the International Crisis Group (ICG), is accused by the Chinese authorities of "stealing sensitive information and intelligence through contacts in China since 2017," while Spavor, a businessman based in Beijing with a focus on North Korea, is accused of providing intelligence to Kovrig. Chinese officials have not disclosed any evidence against the two men or information detailing their alleged crimes, but have said, "the facts are clear and evidence is solid."

Source: CNN March 18, 2021 01:52 UTC