China's Execution of Filipinos Chillingly Systematic

Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, 32, signed an affidavit stating she didn't know her luggage was lined with heroin when she entered China on Christmas Eve 2008. But despite a protest on her behalf by the Philippines government, she and two others convicted of drug trafficking were executed by lethal injection today. Elizabeth Batain, 38, and Ramon Credo, 42, were the other two Filipinos the Chinese government put to death.

China has been sharply criticized by human rights groups for its executions. Amnesty International says China does not release information on the number of executions carried out, but it is believed to execute thousands annually, more than all other countries combined. The human rights organization says China's legal process doesn't meet international standards, with no presumption of innocence and frequent employment of torture or mistreatment to extract confessions.

China eliminated 13 crimes from its death penalty-eligible list in 2010, but Amnesty International says the country continues to execute people for nonviolent crimes and corruption.

The world community is moving away from use of the death penalty with close to 100 countries having abolished it by law and another 30-odd countries abolishing it in practice. Many of the countries that continue to impose the death penalty are in Asia, and drug convictions like those of Ordinario-Villanueva, Batian, and Credo are one of the common reasons for its use.

The Asian Correspondent describes cold details of the Filipinos' last day. At 7:50 a.m., Villanueva's and Credo's families arrived at the detention house in Xiamen where the two were imprisoned. The families and consular officials visited with Villaneuva and Credo, independently, between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.

By 9:40, the families were in court where the final orders for the execution were issued. At 10:40, Villaneuva and Credo were taken to the execution chambers. By noon, Villaneuva's family was at the Xiamen Funeral Parlor for a final viewing of Sally's remains, and preparations were underway for her corpse to be shipped to the Philippines. The court issued death certificates for Villaneuva and Credo to Consular officials at 1:50 p.m. The Chinese government also gave Consular officials Villaneuva's and Credo's personal belongings and passports.

A similar process took place in Guangzhou, where Elizabeth Batain was put to death.

While the secrecy of Chinese legal proceedings and the government's failure to conform them to international standards cast doubt on the Filipinos' guilt in these cases, there is a history of drug sellers using Filipinos as mules to bring drugs into China.

Drug cartels target Filipinos since the country's relative poverty creates a vulnerable pool of potential mules. One in four Filipinos lives on a dollar a day, while mules can earn between $500 and $5,000 for a drug run. There are 72 other Filipinos facing death sentences in China.