China defends decision to execute Briton (Extra)

Dec 29, 2009, 8:53 GMT

London - China defended its decision Tuesday to execute a British man convicted of drug smuggling charges despite strong condemnation by the government in London.

A statement released by the Chinese embassy in London said Akmal Shaikh, 53, from London, had 'no previous medical record' of mental illness and that his rights and interests had been respected.

Shaikh, who was convicted in 2008 of smuggling 4 kilograms of heroin into China, was executed in the early hours of Tuesday, despite last-minute pleas for clemency from his family and campaigners.

They claim that he was suffering from a mental illness known as bipolar disease and was duped into carrying a suitcase containing the drugs in 2007.

'During the legal process, Mr Shaikh's rights and interests were properly respected and guaranteed and the concerns of the British side were duly noted and taken into consideration by the Chinese judicial authorities,' the embassy statement said.

'As for his possible mental illness which has been much talked about, there apparently has been no previous medical record,' it added.

The British government said it had made 27 representations in the case over the past two years, including a last-minute appeal late Monday to China's ambassador to London, Fu Ying.