URUMQI, China — Relatives made a last-minute plea for mercy Monday for a Briton scheduled to be executed in China for drug smuggling after visiting the man whom they say may be mentally ill. Akmal Shaikh, a 53-year-old father of three, was not aware that his execution had been scheduled for Tuesday, until his cousins told him. He would be the first citizen of a European country to be put to death in China in half a century. China has already rejected a plea from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for Shaikh to be spared. Eleventh-hour appeals are almost never granted in China, which executes more people each year than all other countries combined. "We beg the Chinese authorities for mercy and clemency to help reunite this heartbroken family," his cousin, Soohail Shaikh, said in a statement read to reporters in the far western city of Urumqi, where his cousin is being held. Soohail Shaikh said he and his brother Nasir Shaikh visited Akmal Shaikh on Monday morning – his first direct family contact in the two years since he was arrested. Soohail Shaikh said his cousin had not previously been told of his impending execution. "He was obviously very upset on hearing from us of the sentence that was passed," Soohail Shaikh said.
Similar Stories to Akmal Shaikh, British Man, To Be Executed By China Tuesday on Bing News
The Huffington Post News Editors, Huffington Post
Mon, 12/28/2009 - 9:08am
Topics: relatives european british prime minister gordon brown eleventh-hour nasir shaikh pakistani october tajikistan britain drug chinese foreign ministry jiang yu two british reprieve supreme people's court chinese president hu jintao calls xinjiang supreme court in london embassy latif shaikh associated press writer meera selva urumqi china a shaikh akmal shaikh it chinese soohail shaikh london beijing urumqi executed cousin execution told mercy smuggling clemency report scheduled feel rejected
BING NEWS:
- Two British judges quit top Hong Kong court amid pro-China crackdown on dissent
Two British judges have quit Hong Kong’s top court amid a pro-China crackdown on dissent in the city. Lord Jonathan Sumption, 75, and Lord Lawrence Collins, 83, said they had resigned from the ...
06/6/2024 - 9:53 pm | View Link - British man caught by Qatari police in Grindr honey trap convicted on drug charges
A British-Mexican man who was honey trapped by police on the gay dating app Grindr has been convicted of drug charges in Qatar. Human rights groups are demanding the conviction and travel ban ...
06/6/2024 - 6:01 am | View Link - The best VPN for China 2024
Try NordVPN with a 30-day money-back guarantee For example, if you are a British person visiting China, you can pick a server in the UK and start watching your favorite BBC iPlayer content as ...
06/6/2024 - 3:08 am | View Link - Waterfall in China suspected of being man-made after pipes discovered supplying the attraction
BEIJING: A famous waterfall in Henan, China, has been criticised for being a man-made tourist spot after a netizen discovered that the water came from pipes nestled within the rocks. One user ...
06/5/2024 - 10:34 am | View Link - British killer executed in US
The 43-year-old convicted murderer was executed at the state prison in Jackson, Georgia, and declared dead at 7.28pm local time (0028 GMT). His death came despite an 11th hour bid by the British ...
06/4/2024 - 1:00 pm | View Link - More
Welcome to Wopular
Wopular is an
online newspaper rack,
giving you a summary view of the top headlines from the top news sites.
Senh Duong (Founder)
Wopular,
MWB,
RottenTomatoes
MoviesWithButter : Our Sister Site
- "Expendables 4" Starts Shooting This Fall, Says Randy Couture at the Arnold Sports Festival more
- “Expendables 4” Gets Funding Interest from “Ip Man 3” Financier more
- "Ip Man 3" Distributor Suspected of Box Office Fraud, Parent Company Loses $200M in Market Cap more
- Yen Targets "Ip Man 4" for 2018 Release; Discusses Film with Director, Producer more
- "Ip Man 3" Shatters Expectations with $72M Opening [China Box Office] more