This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/8432948.stm
The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 9 | Version 10 |
|---|---|
| Final pleas for death row Briton | Final pleas for death row Briton |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| The UK government has made a final appeal to China to halt the execution of a 53-year-old British man who is thought to be mentally ill. | |
| Foreign Office minister Ivan Lewis said the execution would be "entirely inappropriate" after the talks. | |
| Akmal Shaikh, of London, was reportedly told by his family that he faced death at 1030 (0230 GMT). It is not yet known if the sentence has been carried out. | |
| He was convicted of drug smuggling, but has denied any wrongdoing. | He was convicted of drug smuggling, but has denied any wrongdoing. |
| The BBC understands that if the execution has gone ahead, the Chinese authorities will inform the British authorities at a senior level, and the British authorities will first let Mr Shaikh's family know and then the rest of the media. | |
| Just before the execution deadline, Mr Shaikh's two cousins who visited him on Monday issued a statement at Beijing Airport repeating calls for leniency because of his mental state. | |
| But at the same time an official statement from the Xinhua news agency reiterated a Supreme Court ruling that the evidence that Mr Shaikh suffers from mental illness was "insufficient". | |
| '27 representations' | |
| Mr Lewis held last-ditch talks with the Chinese ambassador in London on Monday evening. | |
| The minister said after the talks: "We hope that the relationship we have with China will count for something in the end. | |
| "It's entirely inappropriate that he be put to death. We've made 27 representations over the last two yearsÂ… and even at this late stage I hope they will see that in a modern world it is not appropriate to put a man with mental illness to death. | "It's entirely inappropriate that he be put to death. We've made 27 representations over the last two yearsÂ… and even at this late stage I hope they will see that in a modern world it is not appropriate to put a man with mental illness to death. |
| "It cannot be right that there has not been any medical assessment done of Mr Shaikh's mental condition. In any judicial system that simply cannot be acceptable." | "It cannot be right that there has not been any medical assessment done of Mr Shaikh's mental condition. In any judicial system that simply cannot be acceptable." |
| Mr Lewis added: "I believe this meeting tonight was the final opportunity for us to make the strength of our feeling known to the Chinese. I believe we have done everything we possibly can." | Mr Lewis added: "I believe this meeting tonight was the final opportunity for us to make the strength of our feeling known to the Chinese. I believe we have done everything we possibly can." |
| Duped | Duped |
| Mr Shaikh has denied all knowledge of the 4kg of heroin found in his possession by police in the north-western city of Urumqi in 2007. | Mr Shaikh has denied all knowledge of the 4kg of heroin found in his possession by police in the north-western city of Urumqi in 2007. |
| His family say he suffers from bipolar disorder and has displayed "extreme and erratic" behaviour. | His family say he suffers from bipolar disorder and has displayed "extreme and erratic" behaviour. |
| His daughter Leilla Hornsell told the BBC: "I don't think he will be able to really understand what's happening." | His daughter Leilla Hornsell told the BBC: "I don't think he will be able to really understand what's happening." |
| Ms Horsnell has said her father was approached by drug smugglers in Poland who convinced him they would make him a pop star in China. | Ms Horsnell has said her father was approached by drug smugglers in Poland who convinced him they would make him a pop star in China. |
| She claims he was then duped by the gang into carrying a suitcase that did not belong to him. | She claims he was then duped by the gang into carrying a suitcase that did not belong to him. |
| The last-minute nature of this evidence is an example of why there must always be last-minute clemency Clive Stafford SmithDirector, Reprieve Executions shrouded in secrecy | The last-minute nature of this evidence is an example of why there must always be last-minute clemency Clive Stafford SmithDirector, Reprieve Executions shrouded in secrecy |
| "I'd like to be hopeful, but time just seems to be running out," she said. | "I'd like to be hopeful, but time just seems to be running out," she said. |
| "It's better for him to be in his own world rather than be faced with the reality of the situation." | "It's better for him to be in his own world rather than be faced with the reality of the situation." |
| Mr Shaikh's final appeal was turned down last week. He is set to become the first EU national to be executed in China in 50 years. | Mr Shaikh's final appeal was turned down last week. He is set to become the first EU national to be executed in China in 50 years. |
| His cousins, Soohail and Nasir Shaikh, informed him of his fate as they spent an hour and a half with him on Monday at the secure hospital in Urumqi where he is being held. | His cousins, Soohail and Nasir Shaikh, informed him of his fate as they spent an hour and a half with him on Monday at the secure hospital in Urumqi where he is being held. |
| They were the first family members to have face-to-face contact with him in two years. | They were the first family members to have face-to-face contact with him in two years. |
| His cousins also handed in a petition to the local court asking for a stay of execution and made a plea for mercy to Chinese President Hu Jintao. | His cousins also handed in a petition to the local court asking for a stay of execution and made a plea for mercy to Chinese President Hu Jintao. |
| Song for peace | Song for peace |
| Legal charity Reprieve has been working on the case with Mr Shaikh's family. | Legal charity Reprieve has been working on the case with Mr Shaikh's family. |
| The organisation has collected witness statements from people who knew Mr Shaikh while he was sleeping rough in Poland. | The organisation has collected witness statements from people who knew Mr Shaikh while he was sleeping rough in Poland. |
| CHINA DEATH PENALTY China executed 1,718 people in 2008, according to Amnesty InternationalLast year 72% of the world's total executions took place in China, the charity estimatesIt applies to 60 offences, including non-violent crimes such as tax fraud and embezzlementThose sentenced to death are usually shot, but some provinces are introducing lethal injections | CHINA DEATH PENALTY China executed 1,718 people in 2008, according to Amnesty InternationalLast year 72% of the world's total executions took place in China, the charity estimatesIt applies to 60 offences, including non-violent crimes such as tax fraud and embezzlementThose sentenced to death are usually shot, but some provinces are introducing lethal injections |
| The witnesses all say Mr Shaikh was clearly mentally disturbed and was fixated on recording a song that he believed would usher in world peace. | The witnesses all say Mr Shaikh was clearly mentally disturbed and was fixated on recording a song that he believed would usher in world peace. |
| Reprieve's director Clive Stafford Smith said: "While it must be torture for Akmal going through this, the last-minute nature of this evidence is an example of why there must always be last-minute clemency." | Reprieve's director Clive Stafford Smith said: "While it must be torture for Akmal going through this, the last-minute nature of this evidence is an example of why there must always be last-minute clemency." |
| A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London said Mr Shaikh was found with enough heroin to kill 26,800 people. | A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London said Mr Shaikh was found with enough heroin to kill 26,800 people. |
| "Drug trafficking is a grave crime worldwide," he said. | "Drug trafficking is a grave crime worldwide," he said. |
| "The general public has a deep-seated hatred toward it." | "The general public has a deep-seated hatred toward it." |