CHINA “inhumanely” executed four Canadian citizens on drugs smuggling charges earlier this year, it has been revealed.
According to Canada’s Foreign Minister, all four individuals held dual citizenship. He mentioned that Ottawa is requesting mercy for other Canadians in similar dire circumstances.
Melanie Joly told reporters: “There are four Canadians that have been executed and therefore we are strongly condemning what happened.”
Joly added that all four had been convicted on drug charges.
The Canadian Foreign Ministry disclosed that Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian citizen who was given a death sentence in 2019 for purported drug trafficking, has been exempted from being put to death.
Mr Schellenberg has always proclaimed his innocence, insisting he came to China as a “tourist.”
At the time of his sentencing, experts said that Schellenberg was being used as a political pawn in a bigger feud between China, Canada and the US.
Relations between the two countries have been strained since 2018, following the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the Chief Financial Officer of Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, in Vancouver at the behest of Washington.
Shortly after, China arrested two Canadians in what appeared to be an act of revenge.
Meng and the Canadian duo were released in 2021.
China said on Thursday it acted “in accordance with the law” and suggested the Canadians had been convicted over narcotics offences, saying “combating drug crimes is the common responsibility of all countries”.
“China is a country under the rule of law,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
She added that Beijing “treats defendants of different nationalities equally without discrimination” and “handles cases fairly in strict accordance with the law.”
China also “protects the legitimate rights of the parties concerned as well as the consular rights of the Canadian side, in accordance with the law”, Mao claims.
Canada‘s Joly said she and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked China for leniency.
China classifies death penalty statistics as a state secret, although rights groups believe thousands of people are heinously executed in the country every year.
Beijing said this week a former Chinese engineer had recently been sentenced to death for leaking state secrets to a foreign power.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that combating drug-related offences is a responsibility for all countries, adding that Canada should “respect the spirit of the rule of law and stop interfering in China’s judicial sovereignty”.
Mao added that China treats those accused equally regardless of nationalities, handles their cases fairly and strictly, while safeguarding their rights.
In a statement, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa said Canada was making irresponsible remarks.
Without confirming that executions had taken place, it said: “China always imposed severe penalties on drug-related crimes and maintains a ‘zero tolerance’ attitude towards the drug problem.”
A mere few weeks ago, Beijing announced tariffs on more than $2.6 billion worth of Canadian agricultural and food products.
This was in brutal retaliation against levies Ottawa slapped on Chinese electric vehicles and steel and aluminium products last year.
