German sentenced to death in China over killings, Berlin pledges to intervene

BERLIN – Germany says a German man has been sentenced to death in China after being convicted on two counts of premeditated killing.

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said the sentence against the unnamed man was delivered Tuesday by a court in Xiamen.

Schaefer said Wednesday the verdict can be appealed and underlined Germany's "categorical" opposition to the death penalty. He said Berlin will do what it can to ensure that the death sentence is commuted or not carried out.

A man answering the phone Wednesday at Xiamen Intermediate People's Court confirmed that a German national was sentenced to death the previous day, but declined to give any other details. The man also declined to give his name.