China executes French citizen sentenced to death for drug trafficking

April 6 (UPI) -- China has executed a French citizen sentenced to death for drug trafficking, its embassy in Paris confirmed, drawing criticism from the European nation.

China's Embassy to France confirmed Chan Thao Phoumy's execution on Sunday, stating that it "is a rule-of-law country."

"It treats accused persons of all nationalities equally, handles all cases impartially and strictly in accordance with the law, and protects the legitimate rights and interests of the persons involved in accordance with the law," it said in a statement.

The embassy's confirmation came after France's Foreign Ministry said it had been informed that Chan had been executed.

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The ministry statement said that Chan was executed despite efforts by French authorities, including attempts to secure clemency for him on humanitarian grounds.

"We particularly regret that Mr. Chan's defense did not have access to the final court hearing, which constitutes a violation of his rights," the ministry said in a statement.

"We extend our deepest condolences to his family, whose grief we share."

Chan, a Guangzhou-born French citizen, was arrested in March 2005 as police detained nearly 90 suspects and seized 16 factories used to manufacture drugs, in particular crystal methamphetamine, according to contemporaneous reporting by state-run China Daily.

The court found Chan to be a key figure in a drug ring and had planned with others to produce and deal meth in 1999.

Originally sentenced to life in prison, his sentence was increased to death following the uncovering of other crimes while he was behind bars, the state-run news organization said.

Beijing does not publish its execution figures, but Amnesty International has long described it as the world's leading executioner and says it is believed to carry out thousands of executions a year.