(Bloomberg) -- A Chinese court has sentenced a Canadian man to death on accusations of drug trafficking, a move that could escalate tensions between the nations as they feud over the fate of two other detained Canadians and a Chinese executive of Huawei Technologies Co.
Robert Lloyd Schellenberg has been sentenced to death for drug trafficking after a one-day trial, according to a statement posted on the website of the Dalian Intermediate People’s Court. Schellenberg had initially been convicted to 15 years in prison, but saw his sentence increased after an appeal. He can still appeal the latest decision.
The court said Schellenberg was involved in smuggling 222 kilograms (489 pounds) of crystal meth. His initial conviction on Nov. 20, with a lower penalty, found him to have been an accomplice.
The death sentence comes as two other high-profile Canadian cases in China remain in limbo. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were each detained on Dec. 10 in the aftermath of Canada’s arrest in Vancouver of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou. Meng is out on bail, while Kovrig and Spavor remain in custody.
Canada has accused China of not respecting the principles of diplomatic immunity in the detention of Kovrig -- who is an employee of Canada’s foreign department but has been on leave from that job to work with the International Crisis Group. China said the claim of immunity makes Canada a “laughing stock.”
China executes more people than any other country in the world, according to Amnesty International -- the group estimates that China executed thousands of people in 2017, compared to 993 known cases in the rest of the world, though precise figures aren’t available. In 2017, the group was aware of four countries, including China, that executed people on drug-related offenses.
To contact the reporters on this story: Josh Wingrove in Ottawa at jwingrove4@bloomberg.net;Dandan Li in Beijing at dli395@bloomberg.net;Crystal Chui in Zurich at tchui4@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Theophilos Argitis, Chris Fournier
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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