MONTREAL: The Chinese Embassy in Canada expressed stern condemnation after Canada’s foreign minister criticized the sentencing of Canadian drug smuggler Robert Schellenberg in a Chinese court.
The Embassy said the remark made by Marc Garneau, who in a statement called the verdict a “cruel and inhumane punishment” and arbitrary sentence, has seriously violated China’s judicial sovereignty and violated the spirit of the rule of law.
Calling Garneau’s statement unwarranted, the spokesperson of the embassy stressed that China will never allow any drug smuggler from any country to put the lives of Chinese people in jeopardy.
“The rule of law is no game,” the spokesperson said, calling on the Canadian side to earnestly respect China’s judicial sovereignty, exercise caution in its words and deeds, and stop making irresponsible remarks. “Otherwise, the Canadian side will only humiliate itself in the end.”
The spokesperson stressed that the Canadian statement is totally against rule of law.
Article 347 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China clearly stipulates those who smuggle, traffic, transport or manufacture heroin or methamphetamine with a quantity of more than 50 grams shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of 15 years, life imprisonment or death.
The Liaoning High People’s Court reviewed Schellenberg’s appeal in strict accordance with law, held a public hearing, and concluded that the defendant was involved in organized international drug trafficking and conspired with others to smuggle a huge quantity, of 222.035 kg, of methamphetamine, which constituted drug smuggling. The court said on Tuesday that it rejected Schellenberg’s appeal because the facts identified in the first trial were clear, the evidence was true and sufficient, the conviction was accurate, and the sentence was appropriate.
–The Daily Mail-CGTN
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