Meng Wanzhou Q's and A's

-

Online pic: Meng Wanzhou wears an electronic chain
so that she doesn't 'run away.'

Background

Meng Wanzhou, Chief Financial Officer of Huawei, the electronics well from China, has been under house arrest in Canada since 2018.

Why? The United States wants Canada to hand her over so that America can try her in court for breaking U.S. sanctions against Iran. Does it have proof? They maintain it is in a Power Point presentation Wanzhou made to a Hong Kong bank in 2013.

Can Canada hand her over? Yes. The two countries have an Extradition Treaty which allows them to hand over people who committed crimes in their countries, ‘provided these offenses are punishable by the laws of both Contracting Parties by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.’

Meng Wanzhou’s attorneys have always maintained, what U.S. claimed is the basis for the extradition, is not a crime in Canada.

Trump Politics

What U.S. claimed was a crime was in fact, an illegal act by the U.S. under international law, i.e. sanctions against Iran.

Article 4, of the extradition between Canada and U.S. says there can be no extradition, ‘when the offense is of a political character.’

2015:  International community lifted sanctions against Iran, when Iran signed the international agreement not to build nuclear weapons.

2018: President Trump withdrew from that agreement.

2020: Trump who was on a mission to torch agreements signed by former President Barack Obama, unilaterally declared that Iran sanctions were again in effect. France, Britain and Germany said Trump’s decision had no legal effect.

Lapse of time 

How long should someone be charged for a crime? Wanzhou made the presentation in 2013. The Trump administration accused her of breaking sanctions in 2018. Doesn’t that constitute a lapse of time?

Extradition Treaty between Canada and U.S. says there will be no extradition, ‘when the prosecution for the offense has become barred by lapse of time, according to the laws of requesting state’ Article 4, 1(b).

l It lapsed in 2015 when United Nations canceled sanctions against Iran.

l It lapsed in 2020, when international community regarded Trump’s unilateral ‘snapback’ to sanctions, as illegal.

Conclusion

If Meng Wazhou is extradited to the U.S. Donald Trump should take the stand to explain the motive for her arrest.

This is another ‘written podcast’ from Nonqaba waka Msimang.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elections And Political Bullies

-
Image
Forget democracy.   It should be called political bullying. We are watching it in the prelude to the Canadian election on the 19 th of October, 2015.   Americans have also started their political bullying for the looming presidential election next year. So many trees wasted on books about democracy.   Some countries have big budgets for invading other countries ‘ to defend democracy’ but it is seldom practised in campaigning for elections.   Calling opponents names and printing flyers attacking each other is behaviour that will not be tolerated in kindergarten, but it is all legal, in campaigning.   It is irritating and such a let-down to the whole notion of democracy.   Grown-up men and women behaving like Grade One kids. It is also misleading because many voters believe it is real hatred.   Don’t let that fool you.   These politicians play golf together, attend the same dinner parties, eat and drink at the same social events, share jokes and cut deals in parliament.   They
Read more

Comfort Food As Regret Food

-
Image
Chicken curry. Comfort food is good for the soul, which usually bleeds in winter from icy roads, bad drivers that want to annihilate pedestrians, frozen fingers and toes that take a sabbatical.   What happened to my toes?   I thought I was wearing special socks for boots? We therefore have a right to comfort food which throws doctors’ orders out of the window and has no loyalty to calories.   No calculator on the table, thanks very much.   Piece of bread 5 calories, half a banana 10 calories, sugar-free cheesecake 2,000 calories.   Ah! Ah!  We only live once. Naw!   Comfort food is old school food with its compulsory second helping.   It involves licking fingers and giving a big sigh, about the good life, which is shelter, food, love and debt.   The problem is the zip.   The jeans remind you that comfort food can also be called you will regret food .   Home sweet home is even sweeter in winter after surviving blowing snow and bumper to bumper traffic. What is more welcoming th
Read more

Einstein Passengers

-
Image
Being a passenger is very stressful.   You must listen to the owner of the car, nod and grumble yes to everything he says because you don’t want to piss him off. Two things can happen if you disagree with the driver: he can lose concentration and you all end up in a mash-up accident or stop the car and ask you to get out.   That is the driver’s prerogative.   You must listen to me if you are a passenger in my car.   Let’s flip the script for a minute and sympathise with the driver if she has a passenger who is more intelligent than Albert Einstein. He talks non-stop.   It is all about himself, how right he is, how good he is, how stupid his boss is. Einstein is also a driving instructor.   “Careful.   Look at that guy.   Is he crazy or something? ” says Einstein. Einstein is the unofficial pilot.   He presses imaginary brakes in the passenger seat when the driver stops abruptly for a guy who is texting on his bicycle. A certain Einstein took it to another level.   S
Read more