Time 'running out' to save death row Briton, daughter says
Execution due to take place today
The daughter of a British man due to be executed in China today at 10.30 a.m. (2.30 a.m. GMT) said she feared time was running out with efforts by his family to save his life.
Two of Akmal Shaikh's cousins have travelled to China to plead with authorities, but his daughter Leilla Horsnell said yesterday she was not optimistic that the family's case would be given a sympathetic hearing.
"I'd like to be hopeful, but time just seems to be running out," she told BBC radio.
Mr Shaikh, 53, from London, is due to be put to death in China after being convicted of smuggling four kilogrammes of heroin.
Campaigners for the father-of-three say he suffers from bipolar disorder and that he was duped into carrying the drugs for a criminal gang.
Mr Shaikh was apparently only to discover yesterday that he is to be put to death, as the Chinese have kept his fate secret from him until 24 hours before the execution.
Ms Horsnell said she thought this was a good thing "because I don't even think he would understand because we don't know how much his mental state has deteriorated".
She added: "We do know in one of the appeals he insisted on giving his own statements and he couldn't even speak properly, and what he was saying wasn't making much sense.
"And so I don't think him being told would mean anything or would... if anything, it might make it worse if he was aware of what was happening."
His cousins Soohail and Nasir Shaikh, from London, flew from Beijing to Urumqi in north-west China on Sunday.
A vigil took place yesterday outside the Chinese embassy in central London.
The candlelit event was organised by a group formed on Facebook called Stop The Execution Of Akmal Shaikh, which has more than 1,300 members.
A spokeswoman for the campaign, Maya Farr, said: "Akmal's case has struck a chord with many people.
"We are appealing respectfully to the Chinese government to show mercy to Akmal, and spare his life.
"At the very least we believe there should be a stay of execution so that there can be a full assessment of his medical condition."