According to state broadcaster CCTV, a U.S. citizen who had been given the death penalty by a Chinese court for the “intentional homicide” of his former lover lost his appeal on Thursday.
Following a trial that was conducted in “open session,” the High People’s Court of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China dismissed Shadeed Abdulmateen’s appeal and upheld the initial decision of a court in Ningbo last April, according to CCTV.
According to the initial decision by the lower court, the defendant planned to meet and speak with the victim, a woman with the last name Chen, at a bus stop in Ningbo before killing her in June 2019 following a dispute over the pair’s breakup.
According to CCTV, “The High People’s Court of Zhejiang Province found that the evidence was true and sufficient, the conviction was correct, the sentence was appropriate, and the trial procedure was lawful, thus it made the aforementioned verdict.”
Before the punishment is carried out in such circumstances, the court has referred the case to the Supreme People’s Court for approval.
Even though it is possible, it is exceedingly uncommon for the nation’s top court to contest such judgments and request that subordinate courts review such instances.
Amnesty International stated in a study earlier this year that although the precise figure is a state secret, it believes China executes thousands of people per year.
According to CCTV, the defendant had legal counsel chosen by the court, and representatives from the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai were present in court to observe the decision on Thursday.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy told reporters that they were “aware of a court ruling connected to a U.S. citizen” when contacted for comment.
