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| Briton faces execution in China | Briton faces execution in China |
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| A Briton is facing execution in China for drug smuggling after his appeal was rejected by China's Supreme People's Court, a legal charity has said. | A Briton is facing execution in China for drug smuggling after his appeal was rejected by China's Supreme People's Court, a legal charity has said. |
| Akmal Shaikh, 51, of north London, was arrested in September 2007 in Urumqi, north-west China, but denies knowledge of the 4kg of heroin he had with him. | Akmal Shaikh, 51, of north London, was arrested in September 2007 in Urumqi, north-west China, but denies knowledge of the 4kg of heroin he had with him. |
| Reprieve said Mr Shaikh was mentally-ill and suffered from bipolar disorder but the court denied the appeal. | |
| The Foreign Office confirmed the court had set his execution for 29 December. | |
| He would become the first EU national to be executed in China in 50 years. | He would become the first EU national to be executed in China in 50 years. |
| A Foreign & Commonwealth Office spokesman said the government was "alarmed and deeply concerned" at the news and it would "renew and intensify" appeals to the Chinese for clemency. | |
| It "deeply regrets" that mental health concerns have no bearing on the final judgment turning down his appeal and ministers and the Prime Minister were "closely engaged", he added. | |
| But legal charity Reprieve, which campaigns for fair trials and promotes human rights, called on Gordon Brown to intervene and "speak directly" to the Chinese president. | |
| 'Duped' | |
| Reprieve's director, Clive Stafford Smith, said: "We very much hope that Akmal Shaikh does not become a victim of the regrettably cold political climate that has resulted [from Copenhagen]. | |
| "The Prime Minister should speak directly with President Hu, emphasise that Chinese compassion would be viewed as a great favour to the British people, and note the consistent view of Chinese and British doctors that a full mental health assessment is vital to assess how Akmal's illness contributed to the offence." | |
| Mr Shaikh's family were "begging" the Chinese authorities to show compassion and consider his mental health problems, he added. | |
| Reprieve said Dr Peter Schaapveld, a forensic psychologist, believes it was very likely that Mr Shaikh's strange behaviour was "influenced or caused by" his mental illness. | |
| It said Chinese experts have joined Dr Schaapveld in calling for a proper mental health evaluation. | |
| The charity claims Shaikh has always maintained he went to China to start a career as a pop star, despite no history of public singing, having previously lived in Poland where he tried to set up an airline. | |
| It says he was duped into carrying a bag for someone who claimed to be able to give him work in a nightclub, only for police to find the heroin when he landed in China. | |
| Reprieve said Mr Shaikh's last chance appears to be clemency because China has formally signed the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). |