The Chinese Criminal Justice System Really Doesn't Mess Around

 

(FOX NEWS) - A Canadian man originally given 15 years in prison for drug smuggling was sentenced to death in China on Monday after a one-day retrial, the surprising verdict coming amid growing tensions between Beijing and Ottawa after the arrest of a top Chinese tech executive last month. (Full Article) 

Wow. China pulls off the unthinkable: Pissing off the Canadians. And it didn't even involve beating their team in the Stanley Cup Finals!

The Native of The Great White North in question is 36-year-old Robert Lloyd Schellenberg. According to him, he was allegedly duped into carrying methamphetamines into China by a man he thought was a translator. We've all accidentally tried to bring a bottle of shampoo or sunscreen through TSA only to find out that it's a quarter ounce too large to take on the plane. You throw it out, and happily make your way to the bar at the terminal Chili's. If you have meth in your bag the situation is probably a little different.

Schellenberg was sentenced to 15 years in a Chinese prison. That's a hefty sentence in a North American prison, but that's got to be absolutely brutal in a Chinese prison. Something tells me they don't give you an hour each day to go out in the yard and shoot some hoops.

It should've been punishment enough for Schellenberg to say "Sorrey" to the Chinese government and go about serving his 15 years, but NOOOOO, the Chinese prosecutors decided that wasn't enough, and asked for a retrial to toughen the sentence.

After a one-day retrial (which either means that the Chinese court system is either super-efficient or super-corrupt), Schellenberg was given a newer tougher sentence.

Let's play guess the sentence...

20 years? Nope!

30? Is it 30 years? Getting warmer, but no.

40? Surely, it can't be more than 40 years? Yes it can, and don't call me Shirley.

Then how many years did he get?

All of the years, because he was sentenced to death. This guy went from 15 years in prison to the death penalty over the course of a day.

And you thought that yesterday's Eagles-Saints game was an emotional roller coaster.

I get that the Chinese government likes to keep things locked down, but they may need to pump the breaks a little bit in this instance. Hopefully the governments of both of these nations can get things worked out.

I think I'll let the lads of Metallica have the final word with this one (while playing live in Canada no less)...