Janice Linden trends on Twitter

South Africans have taken to Twitter to debate the execution of a South African woman by Chinese authorities.

According to the BBC, China on Monday executed Janice Bronwyn Linden for drug smuggling. The country also rejected an appeal by president Jacob Zuma to commute Linden's sentence.

On Sunday, @iamodney tweeted: “@kaysexwale can we get this name trending worldwide? 'Janice Bronwyn Linden', just as an attempt to get her sentence commuted. @helenzille”

Twitter user @RobertMeise responded to the plea with: “@iamodney @helenzille @kaysexwale, Why save a drug smuggler, she knew what she was doing. If she lives. She will prob sell to Your Kids.” [sic]

On Monday morning, a number of news handles broke the news that Janice Linden had been executed. @Radio702 tweeted: “Breaking EWN: SA woman JaniceLinden executed in China for drug smuggling”.

Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, says social media gives many people their first opportunity to debate and share their opinions in public. “Everyone wants to be heard. Before social media, there were limited avenues and outlets for expression,” he explains.

“The crime and the punishment are given a very public human face at the very time when the ability to share human experience has reached an historic peak,” he says.

According to the BBC report, Department of International Relations and Co-operation spokesperson Clayson Monyela said that while SA disagreed with China over the death penalty, the execution would not affect diplomatic and trade relations, as their relationship was based on "mutual respect" for each other's laws.

In a statement, the South African Human Rights Commission described Linden's sentence as “a violation of commonly accepted basic human rights, particularly the rights to life and dignity”.

“SA's Constitution abolished the death penalty that was subsequently confirmed by the Constitutional Court, which held that it was the most extreme form of punishment to which a convicted criminal can be subjected,” the SAHRC states.

“In its judgment, the court held that execution is final and irrevocable and that it puts an end not only to the right to life itself, but to all other personal rights which had vested in the deceased under the Constitution.”

The Mail and Guardian Online has since reported that another South African woman was arrested at Bangkok's international airport on Monday for possessing 1.5kg of cocaine.