Ottawa decries execution in China of four Canadians

Canada has strongly condemned the execution of four of its citizens who were put to death in China on drug-smuggling charges, amid lingering diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

- Leyland Cecco

The minister of foreign affairs, Mélanie Joly, said on Wednesday that all four were dual citizens and had been executed this year. She added that Ottawa would ask for leniency for other Canadians facing the same fate.

"There are four Canadians that have been executed and therefore we are strongly condemning what happened," she said.

In a statement to the Guardian, Charlotte MacLeod, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said: "Canada strongly condemns China's use of the death penalty, which is irreversible and inconsistent with basic human dignity. Canada repeatedly called for clemency for these individuals at the senior-most levels and remains steadfast in its opposition to the use of the death penalty in all cases, everywhere."