Australian sentenced to death in China for smuggling meth in checked flight luggage
The national flags of Australia and China are displayed before a portrait of Mao Zedong facing Tiananmen Square, during a visit by Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Beijing on April 26, 2011
An Australian man has been sentenced to death for drug trafficking by a court in southern China.
The Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court made the ruling on Wednesday against the man, who was identified only as an Australian citizen.
As well as the death sentence, his assets would be seized, the court said in a statement on its website, without providing any further details.
However, a report said the man was arrested at the end of 2013 when customs officers at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport discovered more than 7.5kg (16.5lbs) of Ice, a form of methamphetamine, in his bag as he was trying to leave the country. The man was identified as Karm Gilespie.
While Australia’s foreign ministry said consular assistance was being provided to a citizen in China, it would not confirm the person’s identity, citing privacy obligations.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said"we are deeply saddened to hear of the verdict made in his case. Australia opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, for all people."
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"We support the universal abolition of the death penalty and are committed to pursuing this goal through all the avenues available to us. Owing to our privacy obligations, we will not provide further comment," it said.
The announcement of the verdict comes amid tense relations between Beijing and Canberra following Australia’s support for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, which was first reported in China.
Besides imposing tariffs on Australian barley, banning imports of beef from four Australian abattoirs and issuing other trade-related sanctions, Beijing released a travel alertwarning citizens against travelling to Australia because of what it said had been a significant increase in the number of racist attacks on Chinese and Asian people.
The education ministry also issued a warning to Chinese students looking to continue their studies at Australian universities when the spring semester starts in July.