US citizen sentenced to death in China for murder of girlfriend

A Chinese court has sentenced US citizen Shadeed Abdulmateen to death over the intentional homicide of his girlfriend.

The court found that Shadeed had stabbed the 21-year-old woman in her face and neck multiple times last year when they met to talk after disagreements over their relationship, the court said on Thursday.

"Shadeed premeditated a revenge killing, stabbing and cutting Chen's face and neck multiple times, causing Chen's death," said the Ningbo Intermediate People's Court.

He was found guilty of intentional homicide.

The US Embassy did not immediately reply to a request for comment. 

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Rare execution

Shadeed and the woman surnamed Chen started dating after they met in 2019 but she subsequently wanted to break up, according to the court.

"From mid to late May 2021, Chen proposed breaking up many times, but Shadeed did not agree and made verbal threats to her," the court said.

The two met in June 2021 near a bus stop in Ningbo, where Shadeed turned up with a folding knife and stabbed her, the court notice said.

Human rights advocates say China executes more prisoners every year than any other country, but executions of Westerners are rare.

The most recent case involving the holder of a passport from a Western country is believed to be that of Akmal Shaikh, a British citizen who was executed in 2009 for heroin trafficking, according to state news agency Xinhua.

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