China executes French citizen convicted of drug trafficking in 2010 | EUROtoday

China has executed a French citizen convicted of drug trafficking, the French Foreign Ministry has confirmed.

Chan Thao Phoumy, 62, was put to loss of life in Guangzhou, regardless of clemency appeals from French authorities. He had spent over 15 years on loss of life row, having been sentenced by a Chinese court docket in 2010. The ministry’s assertion late on Saturday didn’t specify when the sentence was carried out.

The ministry’s assertion expressed “consternation” and added: “We particularly regret that Mr. Chan’s defense did not have access to the final court hearing, which constitutes a violation of his rights.”

“We extend our condolences to his family, whose grief we share,” it mentioned.

In a brief assertion Sunday that did not point out Chan by title, the Chinese Embassy in Paris mentioned that China “treats defendants of all nationalities equally, handles all cases impartially and strictly in accordance with the law.”

France abolished the loss of life penalty by act of parliament in 1981, and has change into a vigorous campaigner in opposition to its use and for its abolition in every single place.

China’s use of executions — carried out by firing squads or deadly injections — is shrouded in secrecy however has lengthy been in depth. Amnesty International says China is the world’s lead executioner, believed to condemn and put to loss of life hundreds of individuals yearly.