【2009.10.12 每日邮报】Stephen Fry begs China to spare life of mentally ill Briton...

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Stephen Fry begs China to spare life of mentally ill Briton facing death by firing squad

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 7:15 AM on 12th October 2009
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Actor Stephen Fry is calling for the Chinese government to spare the life of a British man facing death by firing squad after being convicted of drug trafficking in China.

It is believed Akmal Shaikh, 53, suffers from bipolar disorder and may have been duped by heroin traffickers without realising what he was doing.

Mr Fry, who also suffers from the disorder, is launching a campaign to help father-of-three Mr Shaikh who is from north London.

According to the Sunday Express Mr Shaikh says he had no knowledge of the heroin and was tricked into carrying it after being lured to fly out by the promise of work as a singer in Shanghai.

The former taxi firm boss was arrested after a suitcase he was carrying was allegedly found to contain 4kg of the drug, with a value of £250,000.

Mr Fry, 52, has joined forces with the human rights charity Reprieve in calling for the Chinese government to spare Mr Shaikh's life.

They are asking for Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband to intervene in the case.

Clive Stafford Smith, the charity’s director, told the newspaper: 'Akmal Shaikh faces the possibility of a bullet to the back of the head very soon, unless Gordon Brown makes strong representations to President Hu Jintao.'

Last night Mr Shaikh’s family pleaded for mercy. They say he has been seriously unwell for many years.

His brother Akbar told the Sunday Express: 'We are all very worried for Akmal’s safety as we know he is unable to defend himself properly.

'He will be extremely disorientated and distressed. I know Akmal would not knowingly carry drugs.

'We are praying the Chinese courts will see that he is not of sound mind and prevent his execution.'

According to the newspaper, Reprieve says the Chinese court has so far refused to allow Mr Shaikh to see a psychiatrist, and that its own application for a psychologist to evaluate him has also been denied.

Mr Shaikh was arrested at Urumqi Airport, in north-western China, in September 2007. He has already been held for two years since his arrest.

His death sentence was announced last October.

A preliminary report by Dr Peter Schaapveld, consultant clinical and forensic psychologist, said it was very likely his behaviour had been 'influenced or caused by' mental illness.

Mr Fry's intervention comes amid reports that the QI host saved the life of a fellow depression-sufferer who wrote to him when she had no one else to turn to.

Crystal Nunn was astonished when Mr Fry replied to her saying: 'Goodness knows, it can be so tough when nothing seems to fit and little seems to be fulfilling.

'I’ve found that it’s of some help to think of one’s moods and feelings about the world as being similar to weather.

'It might be dark and rainy for two weeks in a row. BUT it will be sunny one day.'

The actor has spoken candidly about his own struggles with bipolar disorder.

Earlier this year the Mr Fry fronted an advertising campaign alongside Ruby Wax and Alistair Campbell for mental health charities Mental Health Media, Mind and Rethink.

In 2006, in his BBC documentary The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, Mr Fry spoke openly about his personal experience of bipolar disorder.

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