March 23
PHILIPPINES/CHINA:
2 Pinoys get death penalty in China
A court in China handed down the death sentence to two Filipinos caught
smuggling illegal drugs, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
“They're in the detention cell in Hangzhou and they are now in the process of
appealing their sentence to the higher people’s court in Zhejiang province,”
said DFA spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez.
The names of the 2 Pinoys—a male and a female—were not disclosed. They were
both sentenced to death by the Hangzhou People’s Intermediate Court
“Magkakilala sila. In fact, they are cousins and they were caught bringing in
12 kilos of heroin together,” said Hernandez.
The 2 were caught with about 12 kilos of heroin at the Hangzhou International
Airport in Zhejiang province in eastern China last January 25, 2011.
The DFA said the 2 entered China from Dubai via Hong Kong.
Hernandez said the male defendant was given a 2-year reprieve while the female
was not.
“If after 2 years in prison he comes out and had demonstrated good behavior and
remorse for the crime that he's committed, then his sentence would be commuted
to life imprisonment,” explained Hernandez.
“But for the Filipina, we will have to help her in the appeal first at the High
People’s Court in Zhejiang province, and later on for the review at the Supreme
Court in Beijing,” he said.
He said the Philippine government extended all assistance to the 2 Filipinos
immediately after learning about the case.
“The Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai will assist them in their appeal
before a higher tribunal,” Hernandez said, adding, “the two were given legal
assistance throughout their trial.”
Hernandez said the 2 maintained that they did not know what they were carrying.
“But always at the end of the delivery of the bags to the destination they said
they were given a reward of US2,000 to US3,000,” he said.
The DFA spokesman said the Chinese government also found out that the pair had
been in and out of China “for 18 times for the lady, and for the male about 11
times in the past”.
In May 2008, the pair was introduced to a person in the Philippines, who
convinced them to carry packages to China in exchange for a huge amount of
money for each delivery.
Relatives of the two Pinoys have been informed of their case.
“We have already informed them. In fact, we have already assisted them in the
writing of an appeal letter that will be sent by our Philippine Consul General
in Shanghai to the Chinese authorities in China,” said Hernandez.
As in previous cases, the DFA said they will also continue the practice of
appealing on humanitarian grounds for the commutation of death sentences of
Filipinos.
(source: ABS-CBN News)
**************
2 Filipinos get death penalty in China for heroin smuggling
A Philippine official says a Chinese court has sentenced 2 Filipinos to death
for allegedly smuggling more than 26 pounds (12 kilograms) of heroin into China
last year.
Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said Friday that a woman and her male
cousin were arrested at the Hangzhou International Airport in January 2011
after arriving from Dubai. The Hangzhou People’s Intermediate Court handed down
the death penalty last week.
Hernandez says the court gave the man a 2-year reprieve but not his cousin.
He says the man has been to China 11 times and the woman 18 times since 2008
and received $2,000 to $3,000 per trip from a contact.
China last year executed 4 Filipinos for drug smuggling despite appeals from
the Philippine government.
(source: Associated Press)
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