tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128264.post6989031231795982102..comments2024-03-25T12:55:40.911+00:00Comments on Caron's Musings: Could Akmal Shaikh's Execution have been avoided - 2 questions for the Goverment to answerAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04988201531739344840noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128264.post-8431791035740682792009-12-31T01:33:13.551+00:002009-12-31T01:33:13.551+00:00some years ago, when 2 british nurses (christian &...some years ago, when 2 british nurses (christian & non-asian) commited murder in Saudi arabia, the UK media, and almost all Uk public were of the view that they would not recieve a fair trial, and there was practically no one in UK saying that they should accept Saudi law (death penalty),indeed, the question of whether they were likley guilty or not was not even debated (i.e they question of their likely guilt was glossed over)<br /><br />But in the case of Akmal shaik, (british, but asian and muslim), there are many in the UK (well at least on blogs), happy to find every reason to accept that he should be guilty & that he/we should accept Chinese 'justice system' - few even raise the issue of whether the trial being fair or not, as an issue, let alone the fact that a vulnerable mental person could be manipulated (of course, the crux is what is the evidence for his mental condition, but the Chinese didnt want to look at any evidence<br /><br />Having said all that, there are still decent folk (i hope the majority) & organisations & even the our govt in the UK who have put their 'at home' prejudices to one side, and looked at this from the univeral humanitarian viewpoint, and raised some voice for civility & fairnessAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128264.post-81093820416220795262009-12-30T13:27:55.444+00:002009-12-30T13:27:55.444+00:00"Could Akmal Shaikh's Execution have been..."Could Akmal Shaikh's Execution have been avoided?"<br /><br />The simple answer is yes. All he had to do was not try and smuggle enough drugs in sufficient quantity to kill almost 30,000 people into a country that executes drug runners.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128264.post-2410922788974585052009-12-30T11:26:25.006+00:002009-12-30T11:26:25.006+00:00Don't buy PRC made goods. Pass it on.Don't buy PRC made goods. Pass it on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128264.post-60111861837620548862009-12-30T04:15:09.789+00:002009-12-30T04:15:09.789+00:00Why does the author have to raise the subject of A...Why does the author have to raise the subject of Akmal Shaikh's ethnicity? Does being non-white give you the right to commit crime? Dealing drugs is evil. I don't care what colour you are. <br /><br />I object to China executing this man on the grounds that Britain should have done it for them. We are too soft on criminals. People are throwing all sorts of excuses about how this guy was mentally ill (which is disputed). It's too easy for lawyers, psychiatrists et al to sleaze people out of having to accept responsibility for their own actions. I also suffer with bi-polar, you don't see me smuggling drugs across two continents. I feel nothing but sympathy for his family, but Akmal Shaikh got what was coming to him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128264.post-37027470948700026742009-12-30T03:11:00.205+00:002009-12-30T03:11:00.205+00:00The man lived in the UK for years with no mention,...The man lived in the UK for years with no mention, treatment or diagnosis of mental illness - where was his relatives and the government then?? I am manic depressive and at no time do you become delusional enough to become a drug mule and having your photo taken sitting on a bench is in no way any proof. It is also my understanding that the Chinese government were fed up waiting for the requested proof from the UK that he was indeed mentally ill - guess what - there was nothing. So no-one gave a hoot about this man until he got in deep trouble and suddenly the flies are out in force. Have we all forgotten Tony B-liar and the absolute illegal invasion of Iraq by OUR COUNTRY - we have participated in the mass murder of tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens. In my eyes that gives the UK government absolutely NO RIGHT to critisize anyone and actually makes them worse than China because they pretend to be good guys! At least with the Chinese, what you see is what you get.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128264.post-44310437268184543082009-12-29T23:59:47.670+00:002009-12-29T23:59:47.670+00:00I would just like to say that it would appear that...I would just like to say that it would appear that every British drug smuggler that gets caught trafficing drugs in the far east, where they appear to have much stricter punishments always seems to have been duped. They also would also appear to also have a undiagnosed mental conditions. That said he should not have been executed for his crime, but the people that think that the British minnow complaining to China about human rights would make them change their minds about the execution must be living in dreamland.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128264.post-25452140240937854602009-12-29T13:28:56.439+00:002009-12-29T13:28:56.439+00:00"As far as I can see, all the Foreign Office ..."As far as I can see, all the Foreign Office and Gordon Brown did was to ask nicely for the Chinese Government to show clemency. That was never going to work with a regime that doesn't value human rights in any way. I want to know exactly what went on and how much diplomatic pressure was put on China and whether it was threatened with any meaningful consequences if it went ahead with this execution."<br /><br />So what realistically could the British goverment have done? Sent a gunboat? Personally I don't think there was the slightest chance of China taking any notice whatsoever of anything siad or done by the UK - especially in the fatermath of Copenhagen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com