A Frenchman convicted of drug smuggling is executed in China

China executes a French citizen convicted of drug smuggling, prompting a strong reaction from Paris. The French Foreign Ministry condemned the move and stressed that the execution took place despite efforts to obtain a pardon for the convict on humanitarian grounds.

According to Paris, the defendant's rights were violated during the trial, as his defence had no access to the final hearing. The execution took place in the city of Canton.

At the same time, France reiterated its fundamental opposition to the death penalty and called for its global abolition.

In contrast, Beijing, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, has stressed that the fight against drug crime is a shared responsibility of states and that Chinese courts follow the law regardless of the nationality of the defendants.

(tasr, mja)