Mentally ill Briton could be executed on Tuesday

[Undesired Walrus]

His voice sounds gravelly, hoarse and made to sound lousy.

It doesn't sound remotely gravelly or hoarse.

Anyway, how is that indicative of snorting or smoking heroin, as opposed to say, a thousand other explanations?

 

[Rolfe]

I can well understand his family trying to use anything to try and stay his execution, and I don't agree with his execution at all but I do remain very sceptical as to the mental illness claims. Plus as I said I'd want to know if such mental issues could have been used as part of a legal defence in the Chinese courts.

What he said.

Rolfe.

 

[cyclonic]

It doesn't sound remotely gravelly or hoarse.

Anyway, how is that indicative of snorting or smoking heroin, as opposed to say, a thousand other explanations?

Is there another clip showing a close up of his face and eyes?

Lets have a look from the alleged heroin trafficers point of view.

They pick an obviously crazy muslim to smuggle heroin in to china and hope he doesn't get profiled.

 

[Cainkane1]

Sorry to say he has been executed mentally ill or not. If he was actually tricked into smuggling heroin into China then this could happen to anyone. I'd be leery of going to China after this.

 

[Darat]

Sorry to say he has been executed mentally ill or not. If he was actually tricked into smuggling heroin into China then this could happen to anyone. I'd be leery of going to China after this.

Simple way to avoid it - don't carry something through customs for someone else.

 

[Drudgewire]

I can well understand his family trying to use anything to try and stay his execution, and I don't agree with his execution at all but I do remain very sceptical as to the mental illness claims. Plus as I said I'd want to know if such mental issues could have been used as part of a legal defence in the Chinese courts.

I tend to agree with the skepticism. If his family thought he was "probably" bipolar why wasn't he treated for it before? Did it only become apparent after he was arrested? I don't fault the family at all for trying, but don't take their diagnosis as gospel by a long shot.

And yeah, carrying anything through customs for anyone isn't necessarily a sign of mental illness, but it's damn sure stupid... especially to a country where bringing in certain items can get you legally killed.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Where'd you get that? There was no evidence that his mental health was assessed.

From the article you posted:

In a statement issued after the execution, the Chinese Embassy said Mr Shaikh's rights "were properly respected and guaranteed" and British concerns were "duly noted and taken into consideration".

It said: "As for his possible mental illness which has been much talked about, there apparently has been no previous medical record."

 

[commandlinegamer]

I can well understand his family trying to use anything to try and stay his execution, and I don't agree with his execution at all but I do remain very sceptical as to the mental illness claims.

I've known individuals diagnosed as bipolar that could were smart enough but had severe difficulty functioning at times. But as he probably never had a proper assessment (a psychiatrist was flown out in May but not allowed to visit Shaikh) that's part of the problem here. Maybe he was closer to being a paranoid schizophrenic, but we'll never know. But on the evidence available I would say there's reasonable doubt against the conviction.

http://www.reprieve.org.uk/2009_12_29_akmal_shaikh_executed

Plus as I said I'd want to know if such mental issues could have been used as part of a legal defence in the Chinese courts.

Apparently they can be used as part of a defence from what I've read, but reports say his trial/hearing was very short (30 mins) and he tried to defend himself with a rambling statement which provoked amusement in the court.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

So why not have a mental health evaluation? What's the harm? We would then at least know one way or the other, not be stuck in the situation now in which we will never know.

If the Chinese had done a mental health evaluation, and found him to be completely sane, I suspect you would complain that their findings were incorrect. So doing a mental health evaluation would be a waste of time.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Sorry to say he has been executed mentally ill or not. If he was actually tricked into smuggling heroin into China then this could happen to anyone. I'd be leery of going to China after this.

I plan on going one of these days. Can you come along? I have too many suitcases to carry by myself.

 

[Alt+F4]

So why not have a mental health evaluation? What's the harm? We would then at least know one way or the other, not be stuck in the situation now in which we will never know.

It appears the Chinese government doesn't care if a person is mentally impaired or not. You smuggle drugs, you die.

 

[dtugg]

Heroin is an evil drug.

Heroin, being an inanimate substance cannot be evil. I do understand the jest of your what you are saying. Heroin addiction does destroy many lives. But it it possible to use heroin without becoming a slave to it. I've have used heroin recreationally about a dozen times without becoming addicted. Also, in the UK it is used as a pain killer much the same way as morphine, although they don't call it heroin (diamorphine instead).

 

[Darth Rotor]

The 'well he shouldn't have had the drugs if he didn't want to be executed' defence is stupid. The punishment does not fit the crime. There are lots of things that people shouldn't do, but that doesn't mean they should be killed for them. Although I suppose that's another debate. I don't see the harm in ordering a mental health evaluation in this case.

The Chinese disagree with you. Their jurisdiction. I recall that they recently executed some folks who produced poison/bad milk.

The Turks are also rather harsh in re drug sentences, compared to the US or the UK, though I don't recall whether or not they are using the death penalty.

Smuggling 4kg of heroin into the US would get you a lot of years in prison, but not the death penalty. The Chinese might see us as far too lax on drug smugglers.

DR

 

[Darth Rotor]

A few Asian country don't jack about death sentence for drug smuggler or drug trafficker. You would really have to be mentally ill or desperate for quick buck to try to bring drug in those countries.

Or stupid.

 

[Alt+F4]

The Chinese disagree with you. Their jurisdiction. I recall that they recently executed some folks who produced poison/bad milk.

Well according to The New York Times:

Jerome A. Cohen, a professor emeritus at New York University School of Law and a specialist in Chinese law, wrote last week in the column in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post that the Chinese courts had ignored their own laws in the case. He said Chinese law “exempts from criminal responsibility someone unable to recognize or control his misconduct.”

Here's what I don't get about this case. The family said he had a long history of mental illness but the Chinese court said:

the documents they [the family] provided could not prove he had mental disorder nor did members of his family have a history of mental disease

What type of documentation did the family provide the Chinese court and why specifically was it rejected?

Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/world/asia/30china.html?hp

 

[Alt+F4]

After researching this a bit more it seems that Akmal Shaikh had no documented history of mental illness. No hospitalizations, no arrests, no psychiatrists. He was married, had five children and ran a taxi business in London. He certainly seemed eccentric and strange but mentally ill? I don't know.

Perhaps I'm missing something?

 

[Undesired Walrus]

Here's something new. Don't know the details behind this diagnosis however:

Sally Rowen, of the legal charity Reprieve, said a report from a consultant forensic psychologist had diagnosed him with bipolar disorder and delusional psychosis.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8433704.stm

 

[Undesired Walrus]

If the Chinese had done a mental health evaluation, and found him to be completely sane, I suspect you would complain that their findings were incorrect.

Why?

 

[Alt+F4]

I don't think anyone should be executed for drug smuggling but I can understand why the Chinese court would reject a report from a consultant forensic psychologist diagnosing mental illness when the psychologist never met the person and has no documented psychiatric history to consult.

All Mr. Shaikh's supporters seem to have is people who said his behavior was strange, which doesn't make him mentally ill. If his bunny song is considered a sign of mental illness, then half the posters on YouTube could claim the same thing.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Why?

Just a hunch.