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Communist Vietnam's secret death penalty conveyor belt: How country trails only China and Iran for 'astonishing' number of executions

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Prisoners are dragged from their cells at 4am without warning to be given a lethal injection Vietnam's use of the death penalty has been thrust into the spotlight after a real estate tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to be executed in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's history. Truong My Lan, a businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022.

China: Kiwi drugs-accused Peter Gardner could face death penalty

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Peter Gardner was charged with drug trafficking after being caught with 30kg of methamphetamine in China.
Peter Gardner was charged with drug trafficking after
being caught with 30kg of methamphetamine in China.

The New Zealander allegedly caught trying to leave China with $25 million of methamphetamine is expecting to find out his fate within the next month.

Peter Gardner was stopped at Guangzhou Baiyan International Airport in 2014, while travelling back to his home in Australia with then-girlfriend Kalynda Davis.

Gardner claimed ownership of the bags when questioned – but denied the drugs found inside were his.

He said he had been duped into carrying the 30kgs of methamphetamine, and thought he was transporting an order of bodybuilding peptides including Melanotan.

The pair were arrested, but while Davis was later freed and sent home, Gardner was locked up.

He went to trial in front of a panel of three judges last May, and a verdict had been expected within a few weeks of the one-day hearing's conclusion.

If found guilty, Gardner could face the death penalty.

Gardner's parents, Sandra Cornelius and Russell Gardner, travelled to China for the hearing and were granted two short visits with their son.

After Gardner's arrest, it emerged it was his second trip to China - he had previously made one other journey to bring back the legal, performance-enhancing peptides.

Gardner's lawyer Craig Tuck says his client was coping well with the extended wait for a verdict.

"Peter is very thankful for the love and support of his friends and family in New Zealand and Australia."

Tuck said he was now expecting a verdict by the end of April.

If convicted, there would be a 10-day period to appeal, he said.

Source: stuff.co.nz, March 27, 2016

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