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KENYA/CHINABack
[Published: Friday May 22 2015]

Kenyan woman on Chinese death row
Nairobi, 22 May - (ANA) - Kenyan young mother Floviance Razan Owino has been sentenced to death in China for drug smuggling. In May 2013, Floviance left her one-year-old daughter with her sister in Nairobi, with the promise that she was going to seek work elsewhere to support her.  Then recently a mystery caller, from  China, informed the family that she had just been sentenced to death for drugs smuggling in Beijing. The family were confused. They took to social media to try and verify if Owino was in fact in China. Since then, Owino's name and a hashtag #FreeMsOwino have been used more than 5,000 times on Twitter. But many are using it to go beyond the case - debating the merits of defending an alleged drug smuggler, and discussing China's influence in the region. "While a Kenyan is waiting to be hanged in China, hundreds of Chinese whipping Kenya's elephants & rhinos walk free and rich," tweeted Haytham Bhalo, a banker. "A Chinese caught with tonnes of Ivory is given bond, A Kenya found with a kilo of Coke is about to be hung" tweeted Mageto Elijah, a chemist. But others disagreed: "drug lords must be executed without mercy" tweeted an anonymous user. Chinese firms have invested in major construction projects in Kenya in recent years, and some used the hashtag to make jokes. "Those Chinese should bring her while they come fix our drainage system!" tweeted the influential Kenyan blogger Xtian Dela. Owino's case comes at a time when some are questioning Kenya and China's relationship. In December 2014 the Kenyan government arrested more than 70 Chinese nationals on charges of hacking and money laundering. Since the group's alleged victims are all in China, Beijing has formally requested the extradition of many of the suspects. Officials have established that Owino is in fact being held in prison in Guangzhou and has been given a sentence of execution which has been suspended for two years pending a review of her case. Chinese media have reported that over the past five years there has been a big increase in foreigners drug smuggling in the country with "more than 80% of them from Africa, especially those from North Africa and East Africa". Last year a Chinese newspaper claimed that narcotics teams were hiring specialist translators because African drug gangs "were using their own tribal languages" to conduct their business. A report citing Liu Yuejin, the head of anti-drug bureau in the Ministry of Public Security, said the Chinese police successfully dealt with 1139 cases and arrested 1488 foreign traffickers in 2013. (ANA)

FA/ANA/22 May 2015--------------
 


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