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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8304562.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8433704.stm
The news of Akmal Shaikh's execution is being carried in state-run newspapers and on state-controlled websites here in China. Most of the articles focus on the comments made by the Foreign Ministry spokesman earlier on, when she said the judicial process was legal and fair.
It's interesting to see what ordinary Chinese citizens are saying on the discussion boards. Most of these websites are state-controlled and subject to censorship but overwhelmingly the comments on those discussion sites are supportive of the Chinese government's decision.
One says: "This is all a show by the British government. If it had really wanted to save Akmal Shaikh it would have negotiated in secret with the Chinese." Another says: "If someone commits a crime on our territory we have the right to punish them."
There's very little discussion of the mental health issue on the websites and discussion boards. In terms of the discussions here in China, it doesn't seem to be registering.
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Unfortunate guy. Chinese government might cancel execution finally, but Akmal should learn the local law first.
Btw, if you hope any citizens in China would show mercy on Akmal, it's quite ridiculous. More than one hundred years ago, British deliver tens of thousands of tons illegal drugs to China, along with their naval force. We almost forget the history, but he reminds us.
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I`m confused.
Spokesman Robert Westhead said: "The way the Chinese authorities have stubbornly failed to take account of this poor man's severe mental illness shows that China is still stuck in the dark ages."
However the woman in one of the videos clearly says that Chinese law has provisions for mental illness.
So essentially China is being called barbaric because this man didn't have enough to put together a mental illness case, which is no surprise as he's in a foreign country.
Of all the good reasons to criticise China's treatment of human rights, this is a weak one.
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Hard to judge one way or the other with the given information.
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While he has a strong claim for mental insanity due to his retarded logic for going to China (or so he claims), what's to stop a guy like him from bringing in 4 kilos of explosives and detonating it on a plane? This is a matter of national security. Insanity is a pretty good defense for things like accidentally crashing a car, trying to suicide, maybe killing a spouse in a fit of manic rage. Carting heroine around to foreign countries just doesn't apply in my opinion.
You can't give people carte blanche to bring whatever they feel like into your country and then allow them to claim they did it because they're nuts. Yeah, he could have been there to become a pop star. He also could have been there because someone said "you do this drug deal for me and I know people in the entertainment biz who will make you a pop star."
It's pretty difficult to confuse 4 KILOS of heroine with anything else. What'd they tell him? Becoming a pop star involves baking a really big fucking cake? Perhaps the celebrity life involves a lot of wardrobe changes so he needed giant blocks of detergent?
If someone's crazy, you keep them in a facility or at home where you can watch him. I don't get why his family is crying about it now. They should have kept their crazy brother in the living room, tied to the sofa watching afternoon soaps. I'm sorry but carrying 4 kilos of heroine into China is a death sentence, much like carrying a boombox into the bathtub. The first way just takes a little bit longer.
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yes we all know that china does not give a fuck about human rights etc. etc.
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shouldn't china have extradited him if they wanted to appear reasonable? executing a foreigner whose mental health is in doubt is brash and it sends a bad message to the international community.
edit - bi-polar disorder can cause just the sort of delusions that would make a man think bringing 4 kilos of heroin into china is reasonable. a bi-polar person on their meds is probably just like you or me, but off their meds (and people do stop taking them, for various reasons) they can be insane.
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He's not a retard, he's not insane.... he's bipolar... my sister is bipolar and she knows what the fuck she's doing. If she had 4kilos of heroine with her, she would know. This guy is trying to act innocent when he isn't. Bipolar is hardly a reason to be treated differently. Bipolar just means you are like, mood swingy and stuff... going from being depressed to being angry. If this guy had down syndrome then he should have had a different trial. He broke the law in china, he pays the price.
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Meh, the only thing in this case you might find interesting is that the trial length (30 mins). This is pretty big problem in China.
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On December 31 2009 12:52 aikepah wrote:
He's not a retard, he's not insane.... he's bipolar... my sister is bipolar and she knows what the fuck she's doing. If she had 4kilos of heroine with her, she would know. This guy is trying to act innocent when he isn't. Bipolar is hardly a reason to be treated differently. Bipolar just means you are like, mood swingy and stuff... going from being depressed to being angry. If this guy had down syndrome then he should have had a different trial. He broke the law in china, he pays the price.
Sally Rowen, of the legal charity Reprieve, said a report from a consultant forensic psychologist had diagnosed him with bipolar disorder and delusional psychosis.
Maybe you forgot to read about the psychosis part, seeing as how that would PROBABLY be the part argued here.
EDIT: Ah, sorry, it was only in the second link. Arguing a case of insanity for smuggling heroin would be hard to do in court with only bipolar disorder anyway, I would imagine.
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On December 31 2009 12:52 aikepah wrote:
He's not a retard, he's not insane.... he's bipolar... my sister is bipolar and she knows what the fuck she's doing. If she had 4kilos of heroine with her, she would know. This guy is trying to act innocent when he isn't. Bipolar is hardly a reason to be treated differently. Bipolar just means you are like, mood swingy and stuff... going from being depressed to being angry. If this guy had down syndrome then he should have had a different trial. He broke the law in china, he pays the price.
Don't be ignorant, there are different degrees of severity. People who suffer from mania are known to suddenly take loans they can never pay off for example, assisting with heroine smuggling can definately be influenced by bipolar disorder heavily. Don't base your case on one example of a well functioning individual while being completely ignorant of the other.
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On December 31 2009 13:14 Frits wrote:Show nested quote +On December 31 2009 12:52 aikepah wrote:
He's not a retard, he's not insane.... he's bipolar... my sister is bipolar and she knows what the fuck she's doing. If she had 4kilos of heroine with her, she would know. This guy is trying to act innocent when he isn't. Bipolar is hardly a reason to be treated differently. Bipolar just means you are like, mood swingy and stuff... going from being depressed to being angry. If this guy had down syndrome then he should have had a different trial. He broke the law in china, he pays the price. Don't be ignorant, there are different degrees of severity. People who suffer from mania are known to suddenly take loans they can never pay off for example, assisting with heroine smuggling can definately be influenced by bipolar disorder heavily. Don't base your case on one example of a well functioning individual while being completely ignorant of the other.
"Pleading insanity" is not a term that Chinese courts understand, unfortunately.
Anyway, this guy would have been found guilty of drug trafficking in any country and been sentenced. Only difference here is the punishment.
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Not everyone can claim an illness and wave off all responsibility for their actions.
The only thing that disturbs me is that you get the death penalty for heroine. Imagine in the US if we executed someone for this? The international community would be in hysteria. But China does what China wants, I guess.
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On December 31 2009 13:34 TheOvermind77 wrote:
Not everyone can claim an illness and wave off all responsibility for their actions.
The only thing that disturbs me is that you get the death penalty for heroine. Imagine in the US if we executed someone for this? The international community would be in hysteria. But China does what China wants, I guess.
It's totally different in Asian countries. Do you know how expensive for heroine in China? More than USD 300 per gram, 4000 grams heroine can easily destroy hundreds of family in China. In China, if you bring heroine more than 50 grams one time, you can get death penalty. I have to say if Akmal kill one Chinese in China, he would probably escape from death penalty.
Btw, In Dec., there were five Chinese who get death sentence in Vietnam for illegal drugs. Any Chinese criticize it? We just say, good job, Vietnam guys.
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anyone who even thinks of bringing drugs into asia is insane to begin with. Smuft's lucky he was in South Korea and not China :D
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Russian Federation1381 Posts
Perfect decision, You don't pull sissy crap with people bringing kilograms of heroine in your country.
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Anybody remember Johannes van Damme?
Johannes van Damme (1 June 1935, Middelburg – 23 September 1994, Singapore) was a Dutch engineer executed by hanging in Singapore for smuggling heroin. He was the first European executed in Singapore since its independence.
Van Damme had lived in Nigeria for a while and was married to a Nigerian woman at the time of his arrest. He was arrested on September 27, 1991, at Singapore Changi Airport. In a secret compartment of his trunk, 4.32 kilograms (9.5 lb) of heroin was found. Van Damme claimed he had been framed by his Nigerian engineer partner, but this claim was rejected by the court. In November 1993, his appeal was rejected, and the sentence was upheld. A plea for clemency from the Dutch government was rejected by the President of Singapore. Neither could a letter from Queen Beatrix sent to the President prevent van Damme from being executed. He was hanged at Changi Prison on the morning of Friday, September 23, 1994, between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
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gooooooo china!!!
no more british drugs, we will not stand for it!
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They have put a bad case to argue because they said "he had been struggling with the illness for years" but at the same time he never got any medical advise/attention. Considering the fact that NHS is free, granted, a massive waiting list, his failing to deal with it sooner (with help of his family? hello?) is a massive downfall.
It gets even harder trying to prove whether he had some sort of mental problem 2 years ago now, considering the fact that it wasn't done at that time. It could well be that he has gone crazy after staying in a Chinese prison. I think that capital punishment is wrong, but I guess it is more of a moral issue for me and can't really judge if they are doing the right thing.
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On December 31 2009 14:35 Superiorwolf wrote:
gooooooo china!!!
no more british drugs, we will not stand for it!
For realz. Take your opiates somewhere else.
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EPT
