OEJ
"If he gets clemency for being bi polar the chinese will become the laughing stock of the orient"
Why? Is mental illness, something to take the piss out of and have a good laugh about? Are the people of the "Orient" so stupid that they don't understand that mental illness exists? I don't think so. What are you arguing here?
The charity, Reprieve has released witness statements it said it had collected from people who knew Shaikh while he was living homeless in Poland. Reprieve's witnesses all say Shaikh had been clearly mentally ill when they knew him, and that he was fixated on recording a song that he believed would usher in world peace.
According to Reprieve, he was hoping that his song about rabbits would bring world peace and he had been convinced that going to China would help him to be a big recording star. Apparently he had emailed Gordon Brown and others about his recording career. The song is on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFv0eS5p9hs
"I bet he wasnt so bi polar when he agreed to go along with it though was he?"
Sorry, this statement doesn't make sense to me.
To read more about bi polar symptoms, have a look at this,
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Bipolar-di ... ptoms.aspx
I draw your attention to the following symptom - being delusional, having hallucinations, and disturbed, or illogical thinking. And the following paragraph,
During episodes of mania and depression, someone with bipolar disorder may experience strange sensations, such as seeing, hearing, or smelling things that are not there (hallucinations). They may also believe things that seem irrational to other people (delusions). These types of symptoms are known as psychosis, or a psychotic episode.
"And mores to the point, what has that got to do with anything? Everyone is bi polar to a degree."
Surely, being psychotic and having hallucinations has got something to do with a criminal case. Isn't that why we have Broadmoor and Rampton in the UK? Obviously when charged with such a serious crime, there are going to be people who come up with all sorts of weird reasons for being released. However, there seems to be sufficient background here to justify his death sentence being commuted. Especially, if it goes ahead, he would be the first EU citizen executed in China for 50 years.
Cheers
D