Briton sentenced to death for drug smuggling received fair trial, says China
Supporters of Shaikh say he has mental health problems and was duped into carrying drugs into China
Beijing: China says a British man sentenced to death for drug smuggling received a fair trial.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Tuesday that the case of Akmal Shaikh was a serious one and that his "rights have been fully guaranteed."
Britain's Foreign Office said Monday that Chinese authorities have told them they plan to execute Shaikh on Dec. 29.
Supporters of Shaikh say he has mental health problems and was duped into carrying drugs into China.
The 53-year-old Shaikh, a small business owner from north London, was sentenced to death in October 2008 after being convicted of taking a suitcase containing almost 9 pounds (4 kilogrammes) of heroin into the far western Chinese city of Urumqi.
