Chinese execution of drug trafficker

I have delivered the following letter to the Chinese Embassy. I hope there will be many more like it:

"I am writing to protest at and to condemn in the strongest terms the barbaric execution of Akmal Shaikh that was carried out earlier today.

"Let me say that I wholly oppose the illegal trading of narcotic and dangerous drugs and I support harsh penalties for those who operate such trade.

"However, it is completely obvious that in this case Mr Shaikh was a mentally ill man who was tricked into carrying the heroin.

"Your government's intransigence on this matter seems to rest on the claim that China is a sovereign state and therefore can impose whatever punishment it deems appropriate.

"That is all well and good. But your government as a leading member of the United Nations has responsibilities to uphold international standards of law and humanity. The fact that Mr Shaikh's mental condition was never assessed by a competent authority and that your courts refused access to him by a British forensic psychologist is yet another example of your country's utter disregard for human rights.

"Since there is little chance of a change of thinking by the present leadership, my only hope is that the cruel and despotic regime you represent will one day be wiped off the face of the earth."