In a diplomatic affray mounting, a Canadian entrepreneur was awarded 11-year jail sentence alleged for espionage charges thrusting his country to release an executive of tech giant Huawei which has prompted an unusual show of support by the US, Japan and 23 other governments.

On Tuesday, a court rejected another Canadian’s appeal of a death sentence in a drug case that was increased after the executive’s arrest.

Entrepreneur Michael Spavor and a former Canadian diplomat were detained in what critics labeled “hostage politics” after Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou, was arrested 1 December 2018, at the Vancouver airport.

Spavor was sentenced by a court in Dandong. The government has released few details other than to accuse Spavor of passing along sensitive information to the former diplomat, Michael Kovrig, beginning in 2017. Both have been held in isolation and have little contact with Canadian diplomats.

The Canadian government condemned Spavor’s sentence. It said he and Kovrig are “detained arbitrarily” and called for their immediate release.

The legal process in Spavor’s case “lacked both fairness and transparency,” said Ambassador Dominic Barton outside a detention center where the sentence was announced.

Spavor has two weeks to decide whether to appeal, according to Barton.

“While we disagree with the charges, we realize that this is the next step in the process to bring Michael home and we will continue to support him through this challenging time,” Spavor’s family said in a statement.

Diplomats from the US, Japan, Britain, Australia, Germany and other European countries plus the European Union gathered at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing in a show of support. They also have issued separate appeals for Spavor and Kovrig to receive fair trials or to be released.

“These proceedings are a blatant attempt to use human beings as bargaining leverage,” the top American diplomat in China, David Meale, said in a statement. “Human beings should never be used as bargaining chips.”

Meng, Huawei CFO and daughter of the company’s founder, was arrested on US charges of lying to HSBC about possible dealings with Iran in violation of trade sanctions.

Earlier, Barton said he didn’t think it was a coincidence the cases in China were happening while Meng’s case was advancing in Vancouver.

Diplomats from the United States and Germany went to the detention center in Dandong but weren’t allowed in, according to Barton.

“Our collective presence and voice send a strong message to China and the Chinese government that the eyes of the world are watching,” the ambassador said.

“A lot of it was around the photo evidence,” the ambassador said. “He obviously had a different view on that.”

Kovrig, who also was detained in December 2018, stood trial in March. There has been no word on when a verdict might be announced.

The Canadian Embassy noted Spavor had been held for 975 days as of Wednesday.

Spavor worked in China but had extensive links with North Korea in tourism and other commercial ventures that brought him into contact with the isolated communist state’s leadership.

On Tuesday, a Chinese court rejected the appeal of Robert Schellenberg, whose 15-year prison term for drug smuggling was abruptly increased to death in January 2019 following Meng’s arrest. The case was sent to China’s supreme court for a mandatory review before it can be carried out.