Despite international calls for mercy, China executed Akmal Shaikh, a mentally disturbed British citizen, for possession of 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) of heroin at the Urumqi Airport in September 2007.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated “I … am appalled and disappointed that our persistent requests for clemency have not been granted . . . I am particularly concerned that no mental health assessment was undertaken.”
China insisted that it was just saying no to drugs: “Drug trafficking is a grave crime worldwide. The concerns of the British side have been duly noted and taken into consideration by the Chinese judicial authorities in the legal process, and Mr. Shaikh’s rights and interests under Chinese law are properly respected and guaranteed.”
The executive of 53-year-old is the first European executed in China in 50 years,
On a hopeful note, China noted “[w]e value the China-British relationship. So we hope the British authority can treat this matter rationally and not let it create new barrier between the two countries. I have emphasized that this is an independent criminal case. It has nothing to do with anything else.”
No worries. Even after killing the global warming agreement and countless human rights violations, the U.S. and Europe remain “rationally” blind to such cases. With the U.S. deeply in debt to China and the Obama Administration putting human rights on the back burner (including blocking our own torture investigation), China could have executed Shaikh on the White House lawn and only received a diplomatic expression of concern.
For the full story, click here.
AnyoneOus,
Your “insult” assumes what I own. And it only did what assumptions often do.
Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riano on Regent University’s
Government Camp 2009’s visit to Xe:
“But we are all impressed with their desire for excellence, effectiveness, and respect for law.”
“We hear gun fire everywhere and see military and law enforcement personnel throughout.”
http://govcamp.blogspot.com/2009/07/our-arrival-to-xe-blackwater.html
And then we have some of the others: Crescent Security, Triple Canopy, DynCorp, Tiger Swan, Armor Group (a British Co.?)
And I’m wondering where they do their “field training”…
We’re all in trouble and I’ll just keep saying it, but enough for today.
AY, Thanks for the comment. (BTW, love the little elf pic. Great choice… I smile every time I see it.)
Anon Nurse.
That was an interesting read regarding the Blackwater decision. Wrong as the Decision is at this present moment. The offended party has stated that they will appeal. It becomes a problem to expect the government to do what its expected to do especially when they have a vested interested in the outcome. This becomes more or less a Dog and Pony Party.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100111/scahill
off-thread, but…
Federal Judge Dismisses All Charges in Iraq Massacre By Jeremy Scahill
December 31, 2009
“A federal judge in Washington, DC, has given Erik Prince’s Blackwater mercenaries a huge New Year’s gift. Judge Ricardo Urbina dismissed all charges against the five Blackwater operatives accused of gunning down 14 innocent Iraqis in Baghdad’s Nisour Square in September 2007. Judge Urbina’s order, issued late in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve is a stunning blow for the Iraqi victims families and sends a clear message that US-funded mercenaries are above all systems of law–US and international.”
full article: thenation.com
http://www.thenation.com/
Happy New Year to us all.
The U.S. incarcerating more people than China may be an indication that the U.S.tops China in human right offenses. How many mentally ill has the DOC murdered or maimed that is unpublished?
Was ethics ever a condition for trade? It can’t be for private prisons. We all own them through mutual funds and through their top holders whom we do business with every day.
Thanks for the distinction, “mentally ill puppets of drug lords”
It makes me sick when some commentators cannot differentiate between “drug lords” and “mentally ill puppets of drug lords”.
It’s an important distinction.
You say he was English and mentally ill! How could you tell the difference?
don’t confuse the issue,
the man carried 9 lb of heroin, enough to kill a battalion of army.
it make me sick, when some commentators sided with drug lords
China is one of the worst offenders of human rights abuses in the world, yet they are our favorite trading partner. Money trumps human rights.