Family hope to meet death row man

Dec 28 2009

Relatives of a Briton on death row in China are hoping to meet him as he discovers for the first time that he is due to be executed on Tuesday.

Akmal Shaikh, 53, from Kentish Town in north London, is due to be put to death at 10.30am on Tuesday (2.30am GMT) after being convicted of smuggling 4kg of heroin.

The Chinese have kept his fate quiet from him on "humanitarian grounds" and were planning to inform Mr Shaikh just 24 hours before his execution.

His cousins Soohail and Nasir Shaikh, from London, flew from Beijing to Urumqi in north-west China on Sunday. They joined two British embassy officials to deliver pleas for clemency to Chinese president Hu Jintao and the Chinese courts.

If they are allowed access to Mr Shaikh they will become the first family members to have face to face contact in two years.

Father-of-three Mr Shaikh was arrested in Urumqi in September 2007 and charged with drug smuggling. After being convicted he lost a final appeal last week, but campaigners claim his mental illness - bipolar disorder - has not been taken into account.

A vigil will take place outside the Chinese embassy in central London.

The candlelit vigil is being organised by a group formed on Facebook called Stop The Execution Of Akmal Shaikh, which has more than 1,300 members.

Spokeswoman Maya Farr said: "Akmal's case has struck a chord with many people. We are appealing respectfully to the Chinese government to show mercy to Akmal, and spare his life.

"At the very least we believe there should be a stay of execution so that there can be a full assessment of his medical condition."