Canadian Robert Shellenberg has lost an appeal & faces execution in #China for trying to smuggle drugs to #Australia. The Canadian Ambassador said it was "no coincidence" his verdict was announced while the extradition hearing of #China's Meng Wanzhou is on in #Canada.
Shellenberg first received a 15-year prison sentence after being charge with drug smuggling. However - following the detention of #Huawei's Meng Wanzhou in #Canada on a #US extradition request - the Canadian was "re-tried" and then instead given the death penalty.
The Shellenberg case - along with the cases involving Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig - have been described as hostage diplomacy on the part of #Beijing. China's foreign affairs spokespeople have themselves linked the Spavor & Kovrig cases to #Huawei's Meng Wanzhou.
The Spavor/Kovrig cases have been in secret, leading analysts to question if their so-called "state security" offences have been fabricated to suit #Beijing's hostage diplomacy needs. In Shellenberg's case it was a sudden, unusual "re-trial" switch to the death penalty.
Again, this is not a discussion about what an appropriate punishment for drug dealing should be. It is a discussion about why somebody who had already been tried, found guilty and given a prison sentence was suddenly "re-tried" after Meng's detention and given the death penalty.
Once more, this isn't a discussion about what appropriate punishments for drug dealing should be. It is a discussion about why somebody who had already been tried, found guilty and given a prison sentence was suddenly "re-tried" after Meng's detention and given the death penalty.
Although Schellenberg lost his appeal, all executions have to be approved by the Supreme Court in #China before they can be carried out. I'll leave it to the China law scholars to speculate on whether the Supreme Court is likely to prevent his death sentence from happening.
Given some of the stupid comments made in response to this thread, if people want a bit of an idea of the sequence of events in the Schellenberg case, here is the Wikipedia page which will bring you up to speed on the basics pretty quickly: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schellenb…
There is a lot of talk around that another Canadian Michael Spavor may have his verdict released tomorrow (Wednesday #China time). If this does happen, it would be another remarkable "coincidence" for it to be during the closing stages of Meng Wanzhou's proceedings in #Canada.
...and it happened. #Canada’s Michael Spavor given an 11-year prison sentence for what’s said to be “spying” in #China and “providing state secrets to other countries”. Here’s the statement in Chinese from the Intermediate People’s Court in Dandong: ddzy.chinacourt.gov.cn/article/detail…
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