gavel.
China sentenced another Canadian to death on drugs
charges Friday, the second in two days to be handed the punishment,
as tensions soar between Beijing and Ottawa.
The Foshan Intermediate People’s Court in the country’s southern
Guangdong province said Ye Jianhui had been sentenced for
trafficking and manufacturing drugs, and would have all his assets
confiscated.
According to the state-run Global Times, authorities seized more
than 217 kilogrammes of white crystals containing MDMA from Ye and
five others in 2016.
The rest of the group were also sentenced on Friday and one
other death sentence was issued, while the others were given lesser
penalties.
It comes a day after a court in the provincial capital Guangzhou
handed a death sentence to Canadian national Xu Weihong on a charge
of making drugs.
Last year, China also sentenced two other Canadians to death on
drug trafficking charges as ties sour between the two countries on
a number of fronts including the arrest of top Huawei executive
Meng Wanzhou.
Canadian pleas for clemency for the pair, Robert Lloyd
Schellenberg and Fan Wei, have so far not been successful.
When asked about the latest case Friday, China’s foreign
ministry said its “judicial organs handle cases independently in
strict accordance with the law”.
“We urge Canada to take immediate and effective measures to
correct its mistakes and make concrete efforts to bring bilateral
relations back on track,” said spokesman Wang Wenbin at a regular
press briefing.
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– Deteriorating ties –
Relations have deteriorated rapidly between the two countries in
a number of areas over recent years.
Two other Canadian nationals have been detained by Beijing on
spying charges — including a former diplomat — a move widely
considered retaliation for Meng’s arrest in Canada.
The United States wants Meng extradited to face trial on charges
related to Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei’s alleged
violations of US sanctions against Iran.
In June, Beijing formally charged the two men with
espionage.
Canadian foreign minister François-Philippe Champagne said
before the latest sentencing that his government had told Beijing
they “oppose the death penalty at every step of the way”.
Beijing keeps its data secret about the number of death
sentences it carries out every year.
But according to Amnesty International, China is the world’s top
executioner, with thousands believed to be killed each year.
AFP
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