General Chat

These people who travel the world must know well enough that in certain Countries,Drug Smuggling and or dealing in them gets the Death Penalty.it seems that when caught the all plead innocence and call on our Government to get them out.Personally I believe they deserve what they get,Death Sentence or whatever,They never seem to think about the damage and Slow death of the Addicts whom they help to supply.perhaps if there were more Executions, we,d have less smugglers and addicts.**M**.

I'm against the death penalty full stop. Its inhuman and mistakes can be made although with forensic testing its more and more unlikely.

My thought on this is, how many times has he carried drugs before to another country and not been caught ??

Regardless of being BIpolar, he must know drugs are bad, and that carrying drugs for someone else or oneself abroad wouldn't be smiled upon. If hes savvy enough to have a family & business, he would know the risks so it was his choice to take that chance.

I feel for his family, no matter what he did hes still someones father, son & brother.

One less drug smuggler has got to be good.
Perhaps it is time to look at the deaths and family disasters caused by the nicotine and alcohol dealers too.

I believe that anyone who is caught drug smuggling deserves a sentence but not death.

I also believe that most of the drug smugglers are very vulnerable people who are targetted by the big drug mules of the world.

I feel for the family of this man but I do question why they did not take care of him before if they knew he was mentally unwell. I believe that China should have carried out a full psychiatric assessment on the man to prove/disprove if he had a mental illness before they carried out the sentence.

Claire

I deleted my post because it was a bit harsh.....

If this man truly is bi-polar it does seem severe to treat him as though he was a mentally well man.......what I don't understand is that he is described as a 53 y.o. father of two and had been running a successful business.......what is he doing travelling the world......where were his family.....

Too many British Citizens are being bailed out in situations like these, and expect to be repatriated and pardoned.......they should serve sentences in that country.......but execution is a bit too far.....

When I was very young I did not believe in Capital Punishment but the older I become the more difficult it became to sustain that view.
It is a proven fact that drugs can have life altering consequences. We are aware that prescribed drugs have years of research before they are used in general terms and can still have serious side effects. drugs "sold on the street" do not have vigorous testing, the quality is not stable, and they are sold to the must vulnerable. Ifthis person had bi Polar disease did he get it through the nisuse of drugs...how would anyone of us feel if it was a member of our family who had bought drugs from him and then had their life ruined ar even died as a result,

I do not believe in the body parts of a deceased person being sold as I understand occurs in china but death for suppling hard
line drugs ... my view is clear.
My sorrow is for his family and for those whose lives he ruined

Bridget

This man smuggled the drugs in 2007 to China,so why hasn't his family done something about it before now??????

And did he have Bipolar disorder in 2007 or has this just come to light when they knew he was going to be executed.

Drug smugglers should get a FULL LIFE SENTENCE,meaning for life til they die in prison.

I have no symapthy for him.

Posh this from the BBC

"The amount of heroin he brought into China was 4,030g, enough to cause 26,800 deaths, threatening numerous families," it ( the Chinese Embassy) said."

I don't have any sympathy for drug smugglers; but, nor do I believe in the death penalty.

Although I don't believe in the death penalty, he most defiantly deserved to be punished. How many lives have been spared by stopping that amount of heroin from reaching the streets? I bet a good few.... xx

i had a friend caught drug smuggling

and i never had no sympathy for her to

and i told her

This is from Wikipedia, I don't know how accurate it is. It looks as though he lived in several countries but was a British National. He was living in Poland at the time but I assume some of his family still live in the UK.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akmal_Shaikh

I don't think that we shall ever know the full facts. I do think that a full investigation should have been undertaken of his mental health. I also think that the source of the drugs should have been investigated.

I have full sympathy for his family and friends, especially his elderly mother and his children; they must be going through a terrible time.

Rose, I don't know the full facts but wasn't he living in Poland rather than here when he was approached?

This is difficult, because I abhor China's human rights record anyway.... and I don't believe in the death penalty, full stop. I also believe that those who supply drugs should feel the full weight of the law.

It is said he was Bipolar and delusional, which may well be... but I have to say if his family knew this, why on earth did they let him go off to China ? if it were my father I would have either made sure he was accompanied at all times or hidden his passport....

just a footnote

"China executed 1,718 people in 2008, according to Amnesty International
Last year 72% of the world's total executions took place in China, the charity estimates
It applies to 60 offences, including non-violent crimes such as tax fraud and embezzlement
Those sentenced to death are usually shot, but some provinces are introducing lethal injections"

A man was executed for durg smuggling in china

Sorry folks but i have no sympathy for him

he knew the risks

what do you think