Released Canadian Talks About ‘Terrible’ Detention Conditions in China

Crammed into a cell with 13 other sleep-deprived inmates, strong-armed into singing the Chinese national anthem and forced by shouting guards to watch state television—a Canadian man detained in China last fall is offering a glimpse of what he says life was like for him on the inside. The man, Jason Cigana wanted to share his experience with the Chinese legal system after two Canadians—Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor—were arrested there in December.

A police officer gestures at the photographer as security staff stand guard outside the Canadian embassy in Beijing, China, on Dec. 20, 2018. Thomas Peter/Reuters

OTTAWA—Crammed into a cell with 13 other sleep-deprived inmates, strong-armed into singing the Chinese national anthem and forced by shouting guards to watch state television—a Canadian man detained in China last fall is offering a glimpse of what he says life was like for him on the inside.

Jason Cigana, a 39-year-old originally from the Montreal area, had been living and working in China’s southern city of Shenzhen for six years when he was arrested by Chinese police in October. He was locked up for three weeks and eventually deported.