A French 62-year-old man, born in Laos, was executed despite the efforts of French authorities, including seeking clemency on humanitarian grounds for our fellow countryman,” the ministry stated, affirming France’s opposition to the death penalty “everywhere and in all circumstances” and calling for its universal abolition.
French diplomatic pressures remain ineffective
“We particularly regret that Chan Thao Phoumy’s defense did not have access to the last hearing at the tribunal, which constitutes a violation of the individual’s rights,” added the ministry.
Originally sentenced to life imprisonment after his arrest in 2005, Chan Thao Phoumy was retried after the emergence of “new evidence” and sentenced to death by a tribunal in Canton for the manufacturing, transportation, smuggling, and trafficking of methamphetamine.
He was accused of being part of a network that allegedly produced tons of this synthetic drug in China from 1999 to 2003.
When questioned on Sunday about Chan Thao Phoumy’s case, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not comment on the details of the case.
A contested judicial procedure by Paris
“The fight against drug trafficking-related crimes is the responsibility of all states,” according to a statement.
According to the text, China “treats individuals of different nationalities in the same way, strictly and fairly manages cases in accordance with the law, and protects the rights and legal treatment of the parties involved.”
According to figures from the organization Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) in 2025, he was one of four French individuals sentenced to death worldwide, along with Nora Lalam condemned in 2005 in Algeria, and Stéphane Aït Idir and Redouane Hammadi sentenced in Morocco for the Marrakech bombing in 1994.
China, the global leader in executions
Another Frenchman sentenced to death in Indonesia in 2007, Serge Atlaoui, was transferred to France in February 2025 after a diplomatic agreement, and the French justice system commuted his sentence to 30 years of imprisonment. He was released from prison in July.
In its latest report on the death penalty in 2024, Amnesty International estimates that China is “the world’s top executioner,” with “thousands of people sentenced to death and executed” each year.
China does not publish official statistics on the use of the death penalty, classified as a state secret.
