A group of mostly Western countries led by Canada formed a coalition against the detention of foreign nationals for diplomatic leverage, and targeted a practice used by diplomats by Beijing and Tehran.
Fifty-eight countries, including the US, Japan, Australia and almost all members of the European Union, have signed a declaration that is not binding and has no instruments to enforce. The Canadian Foreign Ministry, which launched the initiative in public on Monday, says it is not targeting a single nation but is aiming to exert diplomatic pressure on the issue.
Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau told reporters on Sunday that he was seeking the support of other countries to take part in the effort to stop the “illegal and immoral” prisons. By joining other nations, he said, “we believe we have a greater chance of putting pressure on countries that do arbitrary detention,” he said.
Western diplomats have accused China, Iran, Russia and North Korea of holding foreign nationals as bargaining letters over the past few years.
Officials from dozens of countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, spoke at a virtual conference hosted by Canada on Monday morning to support the cessation of arbitrary detention.