Akmal Shaikh

Akmal Shaikh is facing imminent execution in China for carrying drugs; Reprieve has serious concerns abouth the mental health of Akmal and is urgently asking Prime Minister Gordon Brown to intervene on his behalf.

A British small business owner from North London, Akmal is married with five children.

Akmal has a lifelong history of very strange behaviour, and Reprieve has uncovered vital evidence that he suffers from an extremely serious mental condition.

A preliminary medical report by clinical psychologist Dr Peter Schaapveld suggests that the odd decisions leading up to Akmal’s offence were most likely influenced by some form of delusional psychosis.

On 12 September 2007, Akmal Shaikh flew into Urumqi, in north west China, from Dushanbe, in Tajikistan. Akmal states that he went to China in the hope of launching a pop career.

Prior to flying to China, Akmal had met a man named Carlos in Poland with whom he had written a song with that he wanted to record. Carlos told him that he knew people in the music industry that could assist and he sent Akmal to Kyrgyzstan.

Akmal was accompanied by a gentleman who claimed to own a nightclub in China and promised him that he could perform there. En route to China, this gentleman and Akmal stayed in a 5 star hotel in Tajikistan which Akmal believed was a sign of his celebrity status.

As he was passing through Urumqi airport, Akmal was searched and his baggage scanned. Two packets allegedly containing around 4kg of heroin were found in his luggage.

Akmal told the officials that he did not know anything about the drugs, and that the suitcase did not belong to him. He aided the Chinese authorities with their inquiries and it appears that he told them as much as he could about the incident. Despite this, the Court sentenced him to death in October 2008.

Reprieve has been working on Akmal’s case since August 2008, assisting the local lawyer in China - who has shown great enterprise and courage - to ensure that all relevant issues are presented to the courts.

Akmal's first appeal which was heard by the District Court in Urumqi on Tuesday 26 May; has been denied.  Akmal will now have a final appeal  before the Supreme People's Court, which only considers errors of law. If that too fails, Akmal will face immediate execution by firing squad. Akmals faith now rests in the hands of the Supreme People's  Court

The most important issue in the case is Akmal’s mental health. The Chinese authorities originally indicated a willingness to allow him to be assessed by a local doctor, but the court subsequently refused. Reprieve immediately sought permission for British psychologist Dr Schaapveld to see Akmal, and paid for him to fly to China - where he too was inexplicably refused access.

Bi-polar disorder is an acute and debilitating disease and is described by the expert Dr Kay Jamison of John Hopkins University School of Medicine as “destroying the basis of rational thought.” Occasionally, severe episodes of mania or depression include symptoms of psychosis or psychotic symptoms. It is highly likely that these professional drug smugglers knew that he was suffering from a mental illness and could be readily manipulated.

At the most recent appeal hearing, against the very strong advice of his lawyers, Akmal read aloud a long, rambling and often incoherent personal statement to the court. Greeted with incredulity and sometimes mirth by court officials, the 50-minute speech demonstrates Akmal’s severe mental unbalance. 

On the same day, Reprieve obtained a series of bizarre emails written by Akmal and sent to the British Embassy in Poland. The emails, which number in the hundreds and are exceedingly strange, provide further evidence of a severely disturbed mind.

As there are no provisions for pardon or commutation under Chinese law, it is unlikely that there will be any executive review of Akmal's case following the judgment of the People’s Supreme Court.

Reprieve has therefore been advised that the single factor most likely to save Akmal’s life would be for Prime Minister Gordon Brown to make representations to President Hu Jintao.

Reprieve has urgently requested the Prime Minister’s help.

Find out how you can help save Akmal Shaikh.