China’s execution of British drug smuggler builds international pressure
December 30th, 2009 - 12:51 pm ICT by BNO NewsBEIJING (BNO NEWS) — China on Tuesday executed a British man convicted of smuggling drugs into the country, putting stress on British-Chinese relations, officials said.
Earlier on Tuesday, China’s Supreme People’s Court cleared the way for Akmal Shaikh’s execution after it approved his death sentence. Prime Minister Brown, his relatives and human rights groups had repeatedly asked the government to spare his life, saying he had mental problems and was lured into the crime.
A number of high-ranking British officials, including the prime minister, immediately voiced their condemnation after the execution was carried out.
“I condemn the execution of Akmal Shaikh in the strongest terms, and am appalled and disappointed that our persistent requests for clemency have not been granted,” Brown said in a written statement from his office. “I am particularly concerned that no mental health assessment was undertaken. At this time our thoughts are with Mr. Shaikh’s family and friends and I send them our sincere condolences.”
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband also condemned the execution. “I join the Prime Minister in expressing my deepest condolences to Mr Shaikh’s family and friends,” Miliband said.
Miliband said both Britain and China are “completely committed” to fight drug trade, but said the issue is whether Shaikh is another victim of it.
“The UK is completely opposed to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances,” Miliband said in his written statement. “However I also deeply regret the fact that our specific concerns about the individual in this case were not taken into consideration despite repeated calls by the Prime Minister, Ministerial colleagues and me. These included mental health issues, and inadequate professional interpretation during the trial.”
The British Ambassador to China, William Ehrman, went to visit the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon to “voice his condemnation,” a spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London confirmed that it summoned the Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom over the execution. The ambassador and British Foreign office minister Ivan Lewis held a 20-minute meeting, the spokeswoman said, but had no further details on the outcome of the talks.
Chinese state media said Shaikh was executed by lethal injection. Shaikh, who was 53 years old, is the first citizen of a European country to be executed in China in more than half a century.
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