Sarah McIver, who was detained in China this month, has returned to Canada, Global Affairs confirmed to Global News on Friday.
“Global Affairs can confirm that a Canadian citizen, who was detained in China this month, has been released and has now returned to Canada. Due to the provisions under the Privacy Act, no further information can be disclosed.”
Global Affairs also confirmed McIver was detained due to a work permit issue.
According to previous reporting from Global News, McIver received an administrative penalty for illegal employment, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing.
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Her arrest followed those of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadians living and working in China, on allegations they were harming China’s national security.
China arrested Kovrig and Spavor separately after Canadian authorities detained a Chinese technology executive in Vancouver.
Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of electronics giant Huawei Technologies, is wanted in the United States on allegations she lied to American banks as part of an effort to get around sanctions on Iran.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has confirmed that McIver’s case does not appear to be linked to that of the other two detainees.
This is a developing story and we will update as more information becomes available.
–With a file from the Canadian Press.