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George Lee is in unique position to help solve this misunderstanding; but calling Frank Dobson and idiot does not help. Dobson has a lifetime of public service and I believe his hatred of oppression, his hatred and mistreatment of the mentally ill, and of summary injustice is genuine. George Lee says he has done what he can. He has a duty to do better. He should now call on China to hold a an independent inquiry into this miscarriage of justice. Of course he knows that this is impossible, but he should do so all the same, to demonstrate that he too genuinely believes in fair trials for all. He obviously will not want to stick his neck out, because he will them be called a traitor by Chinese people, China Inc. will ignore him and he will get no business and financial benefits from his election.
George Lee could help us understand China better. He could also explain to us how can we promote human rights such as fair trials to a one party dictatorship. George Lee can not have it two ways. In his remarks about the difference between East and West, is he implying that free speech, democracy and and fair trials are not universal human rights? Why is democracy, free speech and justice not good for Chinese people? If he does not believe in our rights and values, why is he standing for election to represent our people? Presumably he has business and financial interests in China, where the one party state is deeply involved in business. If he gets elected, getting good deals for his ethnic Chinese constituents will not be good enough; neither will helping Chinese investors to buy British companies. His China connection should not prevent him from speaking up for free speech and fair trials.

He could help us by explaining how we can improve the presentation of our message. Obviously, both Governments need to improve. Britain needs to stop invading foreign countries, or we have no moral authority. And be sensitive about the feelings of people that have been invaded by Britain in the past, especially when that invasion was to secure the importation of drugs. The Internet postings on this subject on Chinese bulletin boards in recent days show that many Chinese hate Britain as a former drug pusher. But China needs to allow fair trials, free speech, free elections, before other countries will respect it. Executing a mentally ill person was not smart, and the Chinese legal system is a joke, as this case has shown yet again. To say the judiciary is independent is hilarious; defence lawyers are regularly detained and obstructed by the police on government orders and judges are instructed on how to judge. Only a week ago, on Christmas Day, Lu Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years for peacefully calling for democracy in China.

As for the death penalty, this case provides ammunition for abolition campaigners: it underlines one of the strongest arguments against it: when injustice occurs, as it may have in this case, it is irreversible. Was Shaikh sane? We will never know for sure.

In Britain, you are innocent until proved guilty, and innocent while reasonable doubt remains. The burden of proof for the defence of insanity is reversed; the insane must prove his insanity. But his lawyers have a right to call professional psychiatric and other witnesses, and this was not allowed. Since he did not have a fair trial, he should be remembered as an innocent person who died to expose the need for true justice in China.
So George Lee was a Chinese policeman! Does George Lee know the image that many Britons have of the Chinese police? They are an arm of the Chinese state, deeply involved in suppressing dissent, suppressing free speech, and preventing protest against government policies in China, many of which are deeply unjust, such as the forceful eviction of residents by communist officials in search of quick profits, the imposition of illegal taxes in rural areas, and the harassment of Christians for peacefully worshipping according to their belief.

And the Chinese police have a mixed record when it comes to preventing common crime; there is evidence that they are deeply corrupt, as can be seen from the huge number of so called hair dressers which are really brothels, saunas which are really brothels, and KTV parlours which are really a front for prostitution, all of which are allowed to operate openly in China despite the criminalisation of prostitution in China. These establishments could still be seen on streets all over China, and suggest that police corruption is normal in China.

A lot of people will be thinking, good for George Lee, but when will a Briton be allowed to stand for election in a free election in China? Never, until the CCP allows free and fair elections, or is violently overthrown, and until the Chinese state stops its xenophobia towards foreigners.

By the way, some of those Internet postings in China have already been deleted by censors...