Relatives of Akmal Shaikh, 53, the British government and the European Union had appealed for clemency, arguing the former businessman suffered from bipolar disorder, or manic depression. China’s Supreme Court rejected the appeal, saying there was insufficient evidence of mental illness.
Brown condemned the execution, carried out in the far-west region of Xinjiang, in strong words that may raise diplomatic temperatures over the case.
“I condemn the execution of Akmal Shaikh in the strongest terms, and am appalled and disappointed that our persistent requests for clemency have not been granted,” he said in a statement issued by the British Foreign Office.
“I am particularly concerned that no mental health assessment was undertaken.”
The European Union echoed the British prime minister’s words.
“It deeply regrets the fact that China has not heeded the repeated calls by the European Union and one of its member states for the death sentence passed against Mr Shaikh to be commuted,” the presidency of the 27-nation bloc said in a statement.
China was just as determined in its defence of the execution.
