A prominent human rights watchdog urged China on Tuesday to revoke the death sentence delivered Monday to a Canadian national convicted of drug smuggling in China, as it contradicted the international standards on capital punishment
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2019) A prominent human rights watchdog urged China on Tuesday to revoke the death sentence delivered Monday to a Canadian national convicted of drug smuggling in China, as it contradicted the international standards on capital punishment.On Monday, an intermediate people's court in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian reviewed Canadian national Robert Schellenberg's initial 15-year prison sentence and replaced it with a death sentence. The defendant now has 10 days to appeal the court's decision.
"The death sentence given to Robert Schellenberg does not deliver justice. We urge the Chinese authorities to revoke this sentence. Drug-related offences do not meet international standards for the use of capital punishment," William Nee, a China researcher at Amnesty International, was quoted as saying in the watchdog's statement.
Nee added that China's death penalty system was enveloped in mystery, which gave rise to concerns regarding the timing of the decision, in particular, the abrupt re-examination of the case and the rush in judgment delivery.
"We hope that Robert Schellenberg and his defence counsel are given adequate time to prepare and respond to the prosecution's new evidence when the case is finally brought up for appeal," Nee added.
In November, Schellenberg, 36, was sentenced by a Chinese court to 15 years in prison for reportedly attempting to smuggle over 200 kilograms (over 440 Pounds) of methamphetamine from China to Australia. However, in late December, an appeals court ordered a retrial due to new findings in the case, claiming that the initial punishment was too lenient.
The Chinese justice's decision has been sharply criticized by the Canadian authorities, with the country's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, accusing China of "arbitrarily" applying the death penalty to a Canadian citizen.
