CHINA afforded due process and upheld its own laws when it executed two Filipinos for drug smuggling, China’s Embassy in Manila said on Tuesday, adding that the mainland has a serious policy of punishing those convicted of drug-related crimes.
“Chinese law stipulates that all persons who commit crimes are equal in the application of the law, and no one is allowed to have privileges beyond the law,” the embassy told reporters in a Viber message.
“During the trial of this case, the Chinese side fully guaranteed the various procedural and the litigation rights of the two Filipinos in accordance with the law,” it added.
The embassy said China “unswervingly” adheres to laws that have a “zero-tolerance” for illegal drugs, adding that it imposes the death penalty only to criminals who have committed “extremely” serious crimes.
Two Filipinos were executed on Nov. 24 for drug trafficking offenses in China, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday, citing confirmation by the Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou.
They were arrested in 2013 and had tried to appeal their drug trafficking convictions several times in 2016.
The DFA earlier said the government had tried all legal avenues to appeal their drug trafficking convictions. — John Victor D. Ordoñez