see url: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-53700474
Things are getting tough for Canada. Does it hand over the Chinese CEO
to the USA and pays the price for cowtowing to the Americans in the
extradition proceedings. Or does it save the lives of 4 Canadian
citizens. Canada is between a rock and a hard place...maybe things will
drag out until after the US Presidential election in November.
A Chinese court has sentenced a second Canadian citizen to death on
charges of producing illegal drugs.
A court notice in the province of Guangdong said Ye Jianhui was
sentenced on Friday, a day after another court sentenced Xu Weihong.
They are the third and fourth Canadians to be sentenced to death in
China recently.
Relations between the countries have been tense since the arrest of a
Huawei executive in Vancouver in late 2018.
Meng Wanzhou's detention following a request from the United States
angered China and soured relations with both Canada and the US.
How many countries still have the death penalty?
No details of the cases were disclosed. But local media say police found
over 218 kilograms (481 pounds) of white crystals containing MDMA, also
known as ecstasy, in a room used by Ye and five other men, all Chinese
nationals.
One of the other five men was sentenced to death, while the rest were
given jail sentences ranging from seven years to life in prison.
On Thursday, Xu Weihong was found guilty and sentenced to death by
another court in Guangdong province, for producing the powerful
tranquiliser ketamine.
China's foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said there was no
connection between his case and the current state of China-Canada relations.
"I would like to stress that China's judicial authorities handle the
relevant case independently in strict accordance with Chinese law and
legal procedures," said Mr Wang. "Death sentences for drug-related
crimes that are extremely dangerous will help deter and prevent such
crimes."
Last year two other Canadian nationals were sentenced to death over drug
charges. Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was found guilty of drug smuggling
after a sudden retrial. Months later another man, Fan Wei, was given the
death penalty for trafficking methamphetamine.
In December 2018, China began detaining two Canadians, Michael Kovrig
and Michael Spavor, accusing them of spying. They were formally arrested
earlier this year
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