🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 51 (from laksa157)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa051.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/15/china/china-canada-executions-africa-intl\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/15/china/china-canada-executions-africa-intl\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/01\/15\/china\/china-canada-executions-africa-intl","crawl_time":1775520561,"first_indexed_time":1746920515,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,cnn!www,\/2019\/01\/15\/china\/china-canada-executions-africa-intl s443","src_root_hash":"2312100192101524051","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Schellenberg death sentence: China executes foreigners all the time. The case of this Canadian is different | CNN","meta_descriptions":["When China handed down its first death sentence to a Canadian citizen this week, it sent shockwaves around the world."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"CNN\n — \nWhen China handed down a death sentence to a Canadian citizen this week, it sent shockwaves around the world.\nChina rarely executes Westerners. The last high-profile case was in 2009, when British national\nAkmal Shaikh\nwas executed for carrying 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) of heroin at Urumqi Airport.\nLike the sentencing of Robert Lloyd Schellenberg this week, Shaikh’s death sentence prompted outrage in the West and appeals for leniency from his government.\nAd Feedback\nAd Feedback\nBut should we be surprised by Schellenberg’s sentence for conspiring to smuggle more than 222 kilograms (489.4 pounds) of methamphetamine from a Chinese port city to Australia?\nChina is the\nworld’s top\nexecutioner, according to Amnesty International, sentencing thousands to death every year. China does not disclose execution numbers.\nOver the past decade, people from\nUganda\n,\nSouth Korea\n,\nJapan\nand\nKenya\nhave received death sentences for drug crimes. In 2016, the Nigerian\nsenate reportedly heard\nthat 120 of its citizens were on death row in China.\nMany foreign nationals awaiting execution come from countries with good relations with Beijing, demonstrating that – outside the West – China makes no exceptions for drug offenders, whatever the diplomatic cost.\nIt is no secret that the Chinese government is tough on drugs, says Maya Wang, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch China, noting that Beijing has previously detained illegal substance users in\nlabor detention centers\n.\nChina is surrounded by drug-producing nations. In 2017, China’s annual drug report said there were 2.55 million drug abusers in the country, a 2% rise over the previous year.\nBut in the past, Westerns often enjoyed softer sentences for such crimes – and better treatment in detention – to ease diplomatic relations and avoid international criticism, says Wang.\n“The case here, in which a Western citizen is being given a death sentence in China is highly unusual,” she added. “There’s no doubt about that.”\nInitially, Schellenberg was seemingly the recipient of such leniency. On November 20, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being an accessory to drug smuggling. But he appealed his conviction and at his retrial this week – more than a month after top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver, accused by the United States of helping cover up violations of sanctions on Iran – he was convicted of a primary role in the smuggling and was sentenced to death.\nThat is a break in protocol for China’s deeply politically entwined judicial system.\nOther Western citizens executed by China have been born in non-Western countries:\nShaikh\nwas born in Pakistan and, in 2010, a Lao-born Frenchman was sentenced to death. That potentially muddies the waters over which foreign government the Chinese would square off with.\nHowever, the implications of executing a Canadian-born Canadian citizen are clear, and raise important questions: Is Schellenberg’s case an isolated example of political retaliation, or does it hint at a new precedent in China of Western drug offenders facing the same treatment as those from the rest of the world?\nAs China’s economic and political might grows, the age of leniency for Westerners there just might have expired.","attrs_markdown":"Thank You\\!\n\nYour effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much appreciated.\n\nClose\n\nAd Feedback\n\n[World](https:\/\/cnn.com\/world)\n\n[Africa](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/africa)\n\n[Americas](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/americas)\n\n[Asia](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/asia)\n\n[Australia](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/australia)\n\n[China](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/china)\n\n[Europe](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/europe)\n\n[India](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/india)\n\n[Middle East](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/middle-east)\n\n[United Kingdom](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/united-kingdom)\n\n[More]()\n\n[Africa](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/africa)   [Americas](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/americas)   [Asia](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/asia)   [Australia](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/australia)   [China](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/china)   [Europe](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/europe)   [India](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/india)   [Middle East](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/middle-east)   [United Kingdom](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/united-kingdom)\n\n[Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/subscription\/all-access)   [Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)\n\nSubscribe\n\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/01\/15\/china\/china-canada-executions-africa-intl)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/01\/15\/china\/china-canada-executions-africa-intl)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\n[Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)   [Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/subscription\/all-access)\n***\nEdition\n\n[US](https:\/\/us.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[International](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[Arabic](https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[Español](https:\/\/cnnespanol.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\nEdition\n\n- [US](https:\/\/us.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [International](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [Arabic](https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [Español](https:\/\/cnnespanol.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n***\n[Africa](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/africa)\n\n[Americas](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/americas)\n\n[Asia](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/asia)\n\n[Australia](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/australia)\n\n[China](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/china)\n\n[Europe](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/europe)\n\n[India](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/india)\n\n[Middle East](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/middle-east)\n\n[United Kingdom](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/united-kingdom)\n***\nFollow CNN\n\nDownload the CNN App\n***\n\n- [US](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us)\n  - 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[Sudoblock](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/games\/play\/sudoblock)\n  - [Sudoku](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/games\/play\/daily-sudoku)\n  - [5 Things Quiz](https:\/\/cnn.it\/5thingsquiz)\n- [About CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/about)\n  - [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/subscription?source=sub_web_footersubnav-link)\n  - [Photos](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/photos)\n  - [Investigations](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/cnn-investigates)\n  - [CNN Profiles](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles)\n  - [CNN Leadership](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/cnn-leadership)\n  - [CNN Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n  - [Work for CNN](https:\/\/careers.wbd.com\/cnnjobs)\n***\nDownload the CNN App\n\n# Robert Lloyd Schellenberg death sentence: China executes foreigners all the time. The case of this Canadian is different\nBy Jenni Marsh, CNN\n\n3 min read\n\nUpdated 12:55 AM EST, Wed January 16, 2019\n\nLink Copied\\!\n\n**Unable to load video**\n\nPlease try again later.\n\nError occurred while fetching labs\n\nSubtitles\n\n- Off\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nChina sentences Canadian to death for drug smuggling\n\n02:11   • Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\nWorld News  11 videos\n\n![still\\_22506120\\_1343852.7759999998\\_still.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nExclusive: US intelligence assesses Iran maintains significant missile launching capability, sources say\n\n02:45\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![inner-mongolia-volcano-tourism-digvid-1.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nThis tourist hot spot is the closest you'll get to Mars without leaving Earth\n\n01:57\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![still\\_22505010\\_13229.07\\_still.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nTrump says Iran war 'nearing completion' in address to the nation\n\n01:03\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![in China which sentenced Canadian to death for drug smuggling earlier today](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nChina sentences Canadian to death for drug smuggling\n\n02:11\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![20260405-gps\\_split 3 .jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nAnalysts react to Trump’s social media post on Iran\n\n05:02\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![SciuttoLatest thumb.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nHow the US military rescued the fighter jet crew member who crashed in Iran\n\n01:08\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![videoframe\\_1260420.png](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nPope Leo celebrates Easter Sunday Mass at St. Peter's Square\n\n02:11\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![apogee raise burn 2.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nNASA footage of Artemis II burn reveals stunning views of Earth\n\n01:00\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![rio 1.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nReforesting Rio de Janeiro\n\n04:00\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![Screenshot 2026-04-01 at 17.18.17.png](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nCNN investigates China’s race to remake its nuclear weapons program\n\n03:16\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![MPA Digital video - 1\\_1.00\\_01\\_08\\_04.Still002 (1).png](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nAI is a 'full-contact body sport' says Microsoft South Asia and India president\n\n01:29\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![still\\_22506120\\_1343852.7759999998\\_still.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nExclusive: US intelligence assesses Iran maintains significant missile launching capability, sources say\n\n02:45\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![inner-mongolia-volcano-tourism-digvid-1.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nThis tourist hot spot is the closest you'll get to Mars without leaving Earth\n\n01:57\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![still\\_22505010\\_13229.07\\_still.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nTrump says Iran war 'nearing completion' in address to the nation\n\n01:03\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![in China which sentenced Canadian to death for drug smuggling earlier today](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nChina sentences Canadian to death for drug smuggling\n\n02:11\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![20260405-gps\\_split 3 .jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nAnalysts react to Trump’s social media post on Iran\n\n05:02\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![SciuttoLatest thumb.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nHow the US military rescued the fighter jet crew member who crashed in Iran\n\n01:08\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\nSee more videos\n\nCNN\n\n—\n\nWhen China handed down a death sentence to a Canadian citizen this week, it sent shockwaves around the world.\n\nChina rarely executes Westerners. The last high-profile case was in 2009, when British national [Akmal Shaikh](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2009\/WORLD\/asiapcf\/12\/28\/china.britain.smuggler\/index.html) was executed for carrying 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) of heroin at Urumqi Airport.\n\nLike the sentencing of Robert Lloyd Schellenberg this week, Shaikh’s death sentence prompted outrage in the West and appeals for leniency from his government.\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\n[![in China which sentenced Canadian to death for drug smuggling earlier today](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) in China which sentenced Canadian to death for drug smuggling earlier today Dalian Court Related article China sentences Canadian to death for drug smuggling](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/01\/14\/asia\/china-canadian-drugs-death-sentence-intl\/index.html)\n\nBut should we be surprised by Schellenberg’s sentence for conspiring to smuggle more than 222 kilograms (489.4 pounds) of methamphetamine from a Chinese port city to Australia?\n\nChina is the [world’s top](https:\/\/amnesty.org.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Death-Penalty-REPORT-web-FINAL.pdf) executioner, according to Amnesty International, sentencing thousands to death every year. China does not disclose execution numbers.\n\nOver the past decade, people from [Uganda](https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/jul\/27\/china-executes-ugandans-drugs-trafficking), [South Korea](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2014\/08\/china-executes-two-south-koreans\/), [Japan](https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2014\/07\/25\/national\/crime-legal\/japanese-man-executed-in-china-over-drug-smuggling\/) and [Kenya](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/blogs-trending-32784209) have received death sentences for drug crimes. In 2016, the Nigerian [senate reportedly heard](https:\/\/www.pressreader.com\/) that 120 of its citizens were on death row in China.\n\nMany foreign nationals awaiting execution come from countries with good relations with Beijing, demonstrating that – outside the West – China makes no exceptions for drug offenders, whatever the diplomatic cost.\n\n## End of Western leniency?\nIt is no secret that the Chinese government is tough on drugs, says Maya Wang, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch China, noting that Beijing has previously detained illegal substance users in [labor detention centers](https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2010\/01\/06\/china-drug-rehabilitation-centers-deny-treatment-allow-forced-labor).\n\nChina is surrounded by drug-producing nations. In 2017, China’s annual drug report said there were 2.55 million drug abusers in the country, a 2% rise over the previous year.\n\nBut in the past, Westerns often enjoyed softer sentences for such crimes – and better treatment in detention – to ease diplomatic relations and avoid international criticism, says Wang.\n\n“The case here, in which a Western citizen is being given a death sentence in China is highly unusual,” she added. “There’s no doubt about that.”\n\n[![01 huawei poland FILE](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Jaap Arriens\/NurPhoto via Getty Images Related article Huawei fires employee arrested in Poland on spying charges](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/01\/11\/tech\/poland-huawei-exec-arrest\/index.html)\n\nInitially, Schellenberg was seemingly the recipient of such leniency. On November 20, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being an accessory to drug smuggling. But he appealed his conviction and at his retrial this week – more than a month after top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver, accused by the United States of helping cover up violations of sanctions on Iran – he was convicted of a primary role in the smuggling and was sentenced to death.\n\n![Robert Llyod Schellenberg has been sentenced to death for drug smuggling in China.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nRobert Llyod Schellenberg has been sentenced to death for drug smuggling in China.\n\nDalian Court\n\nThat is a break in protocol for China’s deeply politically entwined judicial system.\n\nOther Western citizens executed by China have been born in non-Western countries: [Shaikh](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2009\/WORLD\/asiapcf\/12\/28\/china.britain.smuggler\/index.html) was born in Pakistan and, in 2010, a Lao-born Frenchman was sentenced to death. That potentially muddies the waters over which foreign government the Chinese would square off with.\n\nHowever, the implications of executing a Canadian-born Canadian citizen are clear, and raise important questions: Is Schellenberg’s case an isolated example of political retaliation, or does it hint at a new precedent in China of Western drug offenders facing the same treatment as those from the rest of the world?\n\nAs China’s economic and political might grows, the age of leniency for Westerners there just might have expired.\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nSubscribe\n\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/01\/15\/china\/china-canada-executions-africa-intl)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\n[Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)   [Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/watch)\n***\n- [US](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us)\n  - 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A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved.   \n CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.\n\n## Download the CNN app\nScan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.\n\n![Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from Google Play.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/google-play-cnn-app-qr-code.png)\n\n## Download the CNN app\nScan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.\n\n![Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/app-store-cnn-app-qr-code.png)\n\n![CNN Logo](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn.svg)\n\n## Legal Terms and Privacy\nBy clicking Agree, you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and agree to the collection and use of your information by cookies and similar technologies, as set forth in our Privacy Policy.\n\nBy clicking \"Agree\", you have read and agree to the [Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/terms) and agree to the collection and use of your information by cookies and similar technologies, as set forth in our [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/privacy).\n\n[Agree](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/01\/15\/china\/china-canada-executions-africa-intl)","attrs_readable_markdown":"CNN —\n\nWhen China handed down a death sentence to a Canadian citizen this week, it sent shockwaves around the world.\n\nChina rarely executes Westerners. The last high-profile case was in 2009, when British national [Akmal Shaikh](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2009\/WORLD\/asiapcf\/12\/28\/china.britain.smuggler\/index.html) was executed for carrying 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) of heroin at Urumqi Airport.\n\nLike the sentencing of Robert Lloyd Schellenberg this week, Shaikh’s death sentence prompted outrage in the West and appeals for leniency from his government.\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nBut should we be surprised by Schellenberg’s sentence for conspiring to smuggle more than 222 kilograms (489.4 pounds) of methamphetamine from a Chinese port city to Australia?\n\nChina is the [world’s top](https:\/\/amnesty.org.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Death-Penalty-REPORT-web-FINAL.pdf) executioner, according to Amnesty International, sentencing thousands to death every year. China does not disclose execution numbers.\n\nOver the past decade, people from [Uganda](https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/jul\/27\/china-executes-ugandans-drugs-trafficking), [South Korea](https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2014\/08\/china-executes-two-south-koreans\/), [Japan](https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2014\/07\/25\/national\/crime-legal\/japanese-man-executed-in-china-over-drug-smuggling\/) and [Kenya](https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/blogs-trending-32784209) have received death sentences for drug crimes. In 2016, the Nigerian [senate reportedly heard](https:\/\/www.pressreader.com\/) that 120 of its citizens were on death row in China.\n\nMany foreign nationals awaiting execution come from countries with good relations with Beijing, demonstrating that – outside the West – China makes no exceptions for drug offenders, whatever the diplomatic cost.\n\nIt is no secret that the Chinese government is tough on drugs, says Maya Wang, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch China, noting that Beijing has previously detained illegal substance users in [labor detention centers](https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2010\/01\/06\/china-drug-rehabilitation-centers-deny-treatment-allow-forced-labor).\n\nChina is surrounded by drug-producing nations. In 2017, China’s annual drug report said there were 2.55 million drug abusers in the country, a 2% rise over the previous year.\n\nBut in the past, Westerns often enjoyed softer sentences for such crimes – and better treatment in detention – to ease diplomatic relations and avoid international criticism, says Wang.\n\n“The case here, in which a Western citizen is being given a death sentence in China is highly unusual,” she added. “There’s no doubt about that.”\n\nInitially, Schellenberg was seemingly the recipient of such leniency. On November 20, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being an accessory to drug smuggling. But he appealed his conviction and at his retrial this week – more than a month after top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver, accused by the United States of helping cover up violations of sanctions on Iran – he was convicted of a primary role in the smuggling and was sentenced to death.\n\nThat is a break in protocol for China’s deeply politically entwined judicial system.\n\nOther Western citizens executed by China have been born in non-Western countries: [Shaikh](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2009\/WORLD\/asiapcf\/12\/28\/china.britain.smuggler\/index.html) was born in Pakistan and, in 2010, a Lao-born Frenchman was sentenced to death. That potentially muddies the waters over which foreign government the Chinese would square off with.\n\nHowever, the implications of executing a Canadian-born Canadian citizen are clear, and raise important questions: Is Schellenberg’s case an isolated example of political retaliation, or does it hint at a new precedent in China of Western drug offenders facing the same treatment as those from the rest of the world?\n\nAs China’s economic and political might grows, the age of leniency for Westerners there just might have expired.","meta_canonical":null}

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Meta Title	Schellenberg death sentence: China executes foreigners all the time. The case of this Canadian is different \| CNN
Meta Description	When China handed down its first death sentence to a Canadian citizen this week, it sent shockwaves around the world.
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Boilerpipe Text	CNN — When China handed down a death sentence to a Canadian citizen this week, it sent shockwaves around the world. China rarely executes Westerners. The last high-profile case was in 2009, when British national Akmal Shaikh was executed for carrying 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) of heroin at Urumqi Airport. Like the sentencing of Robert Lloyd Schellenberg this week, Shaikh’s death sentence prompted outrage in the West and appeals for leniency from his government. Ad Feedback Ad Feedback But should we be surprised by Schellenberg’s sentence for conspiring to smuggle more than 222 kilograms (489.4 pounds) of methamphetamine from a Chinese port city to Australia? China is the world’s top executioner, according to Amnesty International, sentencing thousands to death every year. China does not disclose execution numbers. Over the past decade, people from Uganda , South Korea , Japan and Kenya have received death sentences for drug crimes. In 2016, the Nigerian senate reportedly heard that 120 of its citizens were on death row in China. Many foreign nationals awaiting execution come from countries with good relations with Beijing, demonstrating that – outside the West – China makes no exceptions for drug offenders, whatever the diplomatic cost. It is no secret that the Chinese government is tough on drugs, says Maya Wang, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch China, noting that Beijing has previously detained illegal substance users in labor detention centers . China is surrounded by drug-producing nations. In 2017, China’s annual drug report said there were 2.55 million drug abusers in the country, a 2% rise over the previous year. But in the past, Westerns often enjoyed softer sentences for such crimes – and better treatment in detention – to ease diplomatic relations and avoid international criticism, says Wang. “The case here, in which a Western citizen is being given a death sentence in China is highly unusual,” she added. “There’s no doubt about that.” Initially, Schellenberg was seemingly the recipient of such leniency. On November 20, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being an accessory to drug smuggling. But he appealed his conviction and at his retrial this week – more than a month after top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver, accused by the United States of helping cover up violations of sanctions on Iran – he was convicted of a primary role in the smuggling and was sentenced to death. That is a break in protocol for China’s deeply politically entwined judicial system. Other Western citizens executed by China have been born in non-Western countries: Shaikh was born in Pakistan and, in 2010, a Lao-born Frenchman was sentenced to death. That potentially muddies the waters over which foreign government the Chinese would square off with. However, the implications of executing a Canadian-born Canadian citizen are clear, and raise important questions: Is Schellenberg’s case an isolated example of political retaliation, or does it hint at a new precedent in China of Western drug offenders facing the same treatment as those from the rest of the world? As China’s economic and political might grows, the age of leniency for Westerners there just might have expired.
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The case of this Canadian is different By Jenni Marsh, CNN 3 min read Updated 12:55 AM EST, Wed January 16, 2019 Link Copied\! Unable to load video Please try again later. Error occurred while fetching labs Subtitles - Off Video Ad Feedback China sentences Canadian to death for drug smuggling 02:11 • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) World News 11 videos ![still\_22506120\_1343852.7759999998\_still.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback Exclusive: US intelligence assesses Iran maintains significant missile launching capability, sources say 02:45 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![inner-mongolia-volcano-tourism-digvid-1.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback This tourist hot spot is the closest you'll get to Mars without leaving Earth 01:57 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![still\_22505010\_13229.07\_still.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback Trump says Iran war 'nearing completion' in address to the nation 01:03 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![in China which sentenced Canadian to death for drug smuggling earlier today](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback China sentences Canadian to death for drug smuggling 02:11 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![20260405-gps\_split 3 .jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback Analysts react to Trump’s social media post on Iran 05:02 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![SciuttoLatest thumb.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback How the US military rescued the fighter jet crew member who crashed in Iran 01:08 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![videoframe\_1260420.png](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback Pope Leo celebrates Easter Sunday Mass at St. Peter's Square 02:11 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![apogee raise burn 2.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback NASA footage of Artemis II burn reveals stunning views of Earth 01:00 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![rio 1.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback Reforesting Rio de Janeiro 04:00 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![Screenshot 2026-04-01 at 17.18.17.png](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) CNN investigates China’s race to remake its nuclear weapons program 03:16 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![MPA Digital video - 1\_1.00\_01\_08\_04.Still002 (1).png](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback AI is a 'full-contact body sport' says Microsoft South Asia and India president 01:29 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![still\_22506120\_1343852.7759999998\_still.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback Exclusive: US intelligence assesses Iran maintains significant missile launching capability, sources say 02:45 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![inner-mongolia-volcano-tourism-digvid-1.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback This tourist hot spot is the closest you'll get to Mars without leaving Earth 01:57 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![still\_22505010\_13229.07\_still.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback Trump says Iran war 'nearing completion' in address to the nation 01:03 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![in China which sentenced Canadian to death for drug smuggling earlier today](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback China sentences Canadian to death for drug smuggling 02:11 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![20260405-gps\_split 3 .jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback Analysts react to Trump’s social media post on Iran 05:02 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![SciuttoLatest thumb.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback How the US military rescued the fighter jet crew member who crashed in Iran 01:08 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) See more videos CNN — When China handed down a death sentence to a Canadian citizen this week, it sent shockwaves around the world. China rarely executes Westerners. The last high-profile case was in 2009, when British national [Akmal Shaikh](http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/china.britain.smuggler/index.html) was executed for carrying 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) of heroin at Urumqi Airport. Like the sentencing of Robert Lloyd Schellenberg this week, Shaikh’s death sentence prompted outrage in the West and appeals for leniency from his government. Ad Feedback Ad Feedback [![in China which sentenced Canadian to death for drug smuggling earlier today](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) in China which sentenced Canadian to death for drug smuggling earlier today Dalian Court Related article China sentences Canadian to death for drug smuggling](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/14/asia/china-canadian-drugs-death-sentence-intl/index.html) But should we be surprised by Schellenberg’s sentence for conspiring to smuggle more than 222 kilograms (489.4 pounds) of methamphetamine from a Chinese port city to Australia? China is the [world’s top](https://amnesty.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Death-Penalty-REPORT-web-FINAL.pdf) executioner, according to Amnesty International, sentencing thousands to death every year. China does not disclose execution numbers. Over the past decade, people from [Uganda](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/27/china-executes-ugandans-drugs-trafficking), [South Korea](https://thediplomat.com/2014/08/china-executes-two-south-koreans/), [Japan](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/07/25/national/crime-legal/japanese-man-executed-in-china-over-drug-smuggling/) and [Kenya](https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-32784209) have received death sentences for drug crimes. In 2016, the Nigerian [senate reportedly heard](https://www.pressreader.com/) that 120 of its citizens were on death row in China. Many foreign nationals awaiting execution come from countries with good relations with Beijing, demonstrating that – outside the West – China makes no exceptions for drug offenders, whatever the diplomatic cost. ## End of Western leniency? It is no secret that the Chinese government is tough on drugs, says Maya Wang, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch China, noting that Beijing has previously detained illegal substance users in [labor detention centers](https://www.hrw.org/news/2010/01/06/china-drug-rehabilitation-centers-deny-treatment-allow-forced-labor). China is surrounded by drug-producing nations. In 2017, China’s annual drug report said there were 2.55 million drug abusers in the country, a 2% rise over the previous year. But in the past, Westerns often enjoyed softer sentences for such crimes – and better treatment in detention – to ease diplomatic relations and avoid international criticism, says Wang. “The case here, in which a Western citizen is being given a death sentence in China is highly unusual,” she added. “There’s no doubt about that.” [![01 huawei poland FILE](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images Related article Huawei fires employee arrested in Poland on spying charges](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/11/tech/poland-huawei-exec-arrest/index.html) Initially, Schellenberg was seemingly the recipient of such leniency. On November 20, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being an accessory to drug smuggling. But he appealed his conviction and at his retrial this week – more than a month after top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver, accused by the United States of helping cover up violations of sanctions on Iran – he was convicted of a primary role in the smuggling and was sentenced to death. ![Robert Llyod Schellenberg has been sentenced to death for drug smuggling in China.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Robert Llyod Schellenberg has been sentenced to death for drug smuggling in China. Dalian Court That is a break in protocol for China’s deeply politically entwined judicial system. Other Western citizens executed by China have been born in non-Western countries: [Shaikh](http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/china.britain.smuggler/index.html) was born in Pakistan and, in 2010, a Lao-born Frenchman was sentenced to death. That potentially muddies the waters over which foreign government the Chinese would square off with. However, the implications of executing a Canadian-born Canadian citizen are clear, and raise important questions: Is Schellenberg’s case an isolated example of political retaliation, or does it hint at a new precedent in China of Western drug offenders facing the same treatment as those from the rest of the world? As China’s economic and political might grows, the age of leniency for Westerners there just might have expired. 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Readable Markdown	CNN — When China handed down a death sentence to a Canadian citizen this week, it sent shockwaves around the world. China rarely executes Westerners. The last high-profile case was in 2009, when British national [Akmal Shaikh](http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/china.britain.smuggler/index.html) was executed for carrying 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) of heroin at Urumqi Airport. Like the sentencing of Robert Lloyd Schellenberg this week, Shaikh’s death sentence prompted outrage in the West and appeals for leniency from his government. Ad Feedback Ad Feedback But should we be surprised by Schellenberg’s sentence for conspiring to smuggle more than 222 kilograms (489.4 pounds) of methamphetamine from a Chinese port city to Australia? China is the [world’s top](https://amnesty.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Death-Penalty-REPORT-web-FINAL.pdf) executioner, according to Amnesty International, sentencing thousands to death every year. China does not disclose execution numbers. Over the past decade, people from [Uganda](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/27/china-executes-ugandans-drugs-trafficking), [South Korea](https://thediplomat.com/2014/08/china-executes-two-south-koreans/), [Japan](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/07/25/national/crime-legal/japanese-man-executed-in-china-over-drug-smuggling/) and [Kenya](https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-32784209) have received death sentences for drug crimes. In 2016, the Nigerian [senate reportedly heard](https://www.pressreader.com/) that 120 of its citizens were on death row in China. Many foreign nationals awaiting execution come from countries with good relations with Beijing, demonstrating that – outside the West – China makes no exceptions for drug offenders, whatever the diplomatic cost. It is no secret that the Chinese government is tough on drugs, says Maya Wang, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch China, noting that Beijing has previously detained illegal substance users in [labor detention centers](https://www.hrw.org/news/2010/01/06/china-drug-rehabilitation-centers-deny-treatment-allow-forced-labor). China is surrounded by drug-producing nations. In 2017, China’s annual drug report said there were 2.55 million drug abusers in the country, a 2% rise over the previous year. But in the past, Westerns often enjoyed softer sentences for such crimes – and better treatment in detention – to ease diplomatic relations and avoid international criticism, says Wang. “The case here, in which a Western citizen is being given a death sentence in China is highly unusual,” she added. “There’s no doubt about that.” Initially, Schellenberg was seemingly the recipient of such leniency. On November 20, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being an accessory to drug smuggling. But he appealed his conviction and at his retrial this week – more than a month after top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver, accused by the United States of helping cover up violations of sanctions on Iran – he was convicted of a primary role in the smuggling and was sentenced to death. That is a break in protocol for China’s deeply politically entwined judicial system. Other Western citizens executed by China have been born in non-Western countries: [Shaikh](http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/china.britain.smuggler/index.html) was born in Pakistan and, in 2010, a Lao-born Frenchman was sentenced to death. That potentially muddies the waters over which foreign government the Chinese would square off with. However, the implications of executing a Canadian-born Canadian citizen are clear, and raise important questions: Is Schellenberg’s case an isolated example of political retaliation, or does it hint at a new precedent in China of Western drug offenders facing the same treatment as those from the rest of the world? As China’s economic and political might grows, the age of leniency for Westerners there just might have expired.
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