Laogai Research Foundation founder and executive director Harry Wu paid a visit today to the Czech Embassy in Washington, DC, to offer condolences on the death of Vaclav Havel.
Earlier today China executed a British citizen for the first time in 50 years. Akmal Shaikh, reported to suffer from "severe mental illness", was arrested in 2007 for attempting to smuggle heroin into China from Tajikistan.
In response to the execution, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued a statement strongly condemning China's refusal to grant clemency, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Shaikh's mental health status. China responded simply, "We express strong dissatisfaction and opposition to the British reaction. We hope the British side will face this case squarely and not put new obstacles in the way of relations between Britain and China."
Furthermore, the extensive international criticism prompted China's "legal experts" to defend the execution as "legitimate" and in accordance with "China's Criminal Law". Wang Mingliang, a professor of criminal law at Fudan University in Shanghai, even went as far as to say that Shaikh's execution had "nothing to do with human rights concerns." (Read more after the jump)
Earlier today China executed a British citizen for the first time in 50 years. Akmal Shaikh, reported to suffer from "