executed 4 Canadians in China, foreign affairs minister confirms

CITYnews halifax / By Michael Talbot

Four Canadian citizens were executed in China earlier this year, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly confirmed Wednesday.

“Canada strongly condemns China’s use of the death penalty, which is irreversible and inconsistent with basic human dignity,” Global Affairs Canada said in a statement to CityNews.

“Canada repeatedly called for clemency for these individuals at the senior-most levels and remains steadfast in its opposition to the use of the death penalty in all cases, everywhere.”

Global Affairs Canada says it is providing assistance to the victims’ families, but did not name the Canadians who were executed.

“We request that media outlets respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time” Global Affairs said, adding that due to privacy concerns no further information can be disclosed.

The Chinese embassy released a statement saying the cases involving Canadian nationals were based on “solid and sufficient” evidence and stressed it has a “zero tolerance” policy on drug crimes.

The Chinese government added that Canada should “respect the rule of law and China’s judicial sovereignty” and “stop making irresponsible remarks.”

Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg remains imprisoned in China after he was sentenced to the death penalty in 2019 for drug smuggling.

Global Affairs says it “continues to advocate for clemency for Robert Schellenberg and provides him and his family consular assistance.”

With files from The Canadian Press