MADPET is for the Abolition of Death Penalty, an end of torture and abuse of rights by the police, an end to death in custody, an end to police shoot to kill incidents, for greater safeguards to ensure a fair trial, for a right to one phone call and immediate access to a lawyer upon arrest, for the repeal of all laws that allow for detention without trial and an immediate release of all those who are under such draconian laws.
Datuk Liew Vui Keong gives a speech at Universiti Malaya October 10, 2018. — Picture by Miera Zulyana
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — The Cabinet has decided that the
death penalty for 33 offences under eight acts of law be abolished, and
this includes Section 302 of the Penal Code (murder), said Minister in
the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong.
He said the decision, which was reached collectively,
also encompassed the Firearms (Heavier Penalties) Act 1971; Firearms
Act 1960, Kidnapping Act 1961, Armed Forces Act 1972.
Also in the list are the Water Services Industries Act 2006; Strategic Trade Act 2010 and Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
"Following the Cabinet decision, a Cabinet
memorandum has been circulated to the relevant ministries for their
comments and to get public feedback on it,” he said during the
Question-and Answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He
was replying to a question from Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen (PH-Bandar
Kuching) who wanted to know the government’s position on abolishing the
death penalty, whether there will be exceptions for extremely cruel
crimes,
Meanwhile, Liew also told the House that the bill on the
Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) was
expected to be tabled at the next sitting of Parliament after all issues
and polices were finalised.
He said follow-up meetings on the setting up of the
IPCMC had agreed that it should be truly independent, effective and have
the powers to tackle problems involving the police force.
"The framework takes into consideration powers that are
more holistic and in line with existing laws and are currently in
force,” he said when replying to a question from Maria Chin Abdullah
(PH-Petaling Jaya).
Liew said the police’s rights would also be assured as enshrined in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.
In September, the government had announced the setting up
of the IPCMC to replace the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission
(EAIC). — Bernama - Malay Mail, 13/11/2018
Malaysia to abolish death penalty for 32 offences, including murder
A general view at Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo: AFP/Mohd Rasfan)
(Updated: )
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has decided to abolish the
death penalty for 32 offences under eight Acts of law, including Section
302 of the Penal Code on murder, said Minister in the Prime Minister's
Department Liew Vui Keong.
"Following the Cabinet decision, a Cabinet memorandum has been
circulated to the relevant ministries for their comments and to get
public feedback on it," he said in parliament on Tuesday (Nov 13).
He
was replying to a question from member of parliament Dr Kelvin Yii Lee
Wuen who wanted to know the government’s position on abolishing the
death penalty, and whether there will be exceptions for extremely cruel
crimes.
Meanwhile, Liew also told the House that the Bill
on the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)
was expected to be tabled at the next sitting of parliament after all
issues and policies were finalised.
"The framework takes into consideration powers that are more holistic
and in line with existing laws and are currently in force,” he said
when replying to a question from MP Maria Chin Abdullah.
In September, the government had announced the setting up of the IPCMC to replace the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission. Source: Bernama/hm(ra) - Channel News Asia, 13/11/2018
Cabinet already decided capital punishment must go, Liew says after toddler’s death
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong.
KUALA LUMPUR: The suspect detained in relation to the alleged
rape-cum-murder of 11-month-old Nur Muazara Ulfa Mohammad Zainal may not
be sent to the gallows as a moratorium has been imposed on the death
penalty, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong said the
Cabinet had collectively decided on Oct 10 that the death penalty would
be abolished.
“At this juncture, a memorandum is being circulated among all ministries for their views to be taken into consideration.
“This is to ensure a holistic decision is made by the
government,” he said to Takiyuddin Hassan (PAS-Kota Bahru), who had
asked if the death penalty would be retained for rape/murder,
robbery/murder and infant murder offences under Section 302 of the Penal
Code.
Kelvin Yii (PH-Bandar Kuching), meanwhile, had asked for the
government’s stance on abolishing the penalty and whether those who
committed heinous crimes would be excluded, giving the example of Nur
Muazara.
To this, Liew (Warisan-Batu Sapi) said the death penalty for 32 offences under eight acts would be abolished.
In the case of Nur Muazara, Liew said the government sympathised with
her family. He also conveyed his condolences over her death.
“Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh
informed the house yesterday that the case is under police
investigation.
“After the investigation is completed, the probe papers will be
handed over to the prosecutor’s office, who will look into all
testimonies before deciding whether to bring the suspect to court,” he
said.
Yii then proposed that a parliamentary select committee be set up as
part of the investigation to ensure more consideration and allow further
engagement with the various stakeholders.
“The issue is being hotly debated. It has caused controversy as well
as misunderstanding. A good policy is needed to consider the views of
the public,” he said.
To this, Liew said the government understood the suffering of victims’ family members, adding that the impact could be huge.
“But in this case, the government has considered all views from all
stakeholders,” he said, adding that Yii’s proposal would be taken into
consideration.
Nur Muazara died last Friday after spending two days in critical
condition at Serdang Hospital. She is believed to have died following
physical and sexual abuse.
Police have detained the couple for further investigations. FMT News, 13/11/2018
MALAYSIA, MAKE US PROUD AT UPCOMING UPR ON 8 NOVEMBER 2018 BY DEMONSTRATING
NEW GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS, JUSTICE AND RULE OF LAW
-Abolish Death Penalty, Repeal Detention Without Trial Laws, Repeal
SOSMA, Sedition Act,…-
Malaysia’s Universal Periodic
Review(UPR) in Geneva will happen during the session beginning on 8 November
2018, which MADPET(Malaysian Against
Death Penalty and Torture) and possibly many others will see Malaysia, under a
new PH government, being more open and ready to accept recommendations, and
make positive commitments, even agreements, to ensure greater human rights,
justice and Rule of Law in Malaysia.
The Universal Periodic
Review(UPR) is a process where Malaysia’s human rights record will be reviewed
by other UN member states, who will also make recommendations on what Malaysia
should do to improve its state of human rights, justice and rule of law.
The UPR process, under the
auspices of the Human Rights Council, also gives opportunities to Human Rights
Defenders and Civil Society an opportunity to submit reports, arguments and
even recommendations. Many, including MADPET, would have done so and tried to
lobby other countries to highlight human rights failings, to urge Malaysia to be
more committed to human rights and Rule of Law in accordance to universal
standards.
Now, this UPR process leading to
the actual face to face session of review of Malaysia in a few days, began when
Malaysia was then governed by the previous Barisan Nasional(BN) government that
obviously had little regard to human rights, justice and rule of law.
Malaysia, in the past, has even
avoided ratifying or being a signatory to many of the fundamental UN human rights convention.
CORE HUMAN RIGHTS CONVENTIONS THAT MALAYSIA YET TO RATIFY
Being a member of the United
Nations, Malaysia accepts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR), but
to date have failed to ratify or sign the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights(CCPR), International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural
Rights(CESR). Without the ratification/signing of the CCPR and CESR, there is
really not a clear proclaimed commitment to the principles of human rights
found in the UDHR.
Now, that Malaysia has decided on
the abolition of the death penalty, there is also no more reason for Malaysia
not to ratify/sign the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights Aiming Towards the Abolition of the Death Penalty(CCPR-OP2-DP);
Malaysia has also yet to ratify
important UN Conventions like the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel
Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment(CAT) and the Optional Protocol of
the Convention Against Torture; Convention for the Protection of All Persons
From Enforced Disappearance(CED); International Convention on the Protection of
the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families(CMW)
To date, Malaysia has only signed
on very few of the fundamental human rights convention being the Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination on Women (CEDAW), Convention on
the Rights of the Child(CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities(CRPD). Malaysia also ratified/signed certain Optional Protocols
relating to the Rights of the Child.
Many a country has ratified many
Human Rights Conventions and/or Treaties, but alas have failed to practice what
they have agreed to. It is a basic principle of international law that a State
party to an international treaty must ensure that its own domestic law and
practice are consistent with what is required by the treaty.
ONCE RATIFIED/SIGNED, UN CONVENTIONS MUST BECOME PART OF MALAYSIAN LAW
IMMEDIATELY
In some countries, once it is
ratified at the international level, the Convention may automatically form part
of national law. In other words, the Convention would be directly enforceable
by national courts and other implementing authorities.
In some other countries, the
legislature might have to adopt an act of ratification at the national level.
This may have the effect of incorporating the convention into domestic law.
Malaysia should pass a law that
ensure that any Convention once ratified/signed, shall automatically form part
of national law.
Alternatively, In Malaysia, this
may be done by the tabling of a Bill in Parliament to adopt and accept the
contents of the each and every Convention ratified/signed by Malaysia as part
of national law. This will be more tedious as it requires separate Bills to be
tabled every time a new Convention is ratified/signed.
MADPET believes this is best,
compared to the old BN government practice of amending all relevant
legislations to ensure compliance with the principles and contents of the
Convention already ratified/signed by Malaysia.
CEDAW, for example, was
ratified/signed in 1995, but the process of amending so many different
legislations to make it to be in compliance with the principles and content of
CEDAW has taken far too long – we are still not sure whether all relevant
Malaysian law has been amended to be in line with CEDAW. Same situation with
the CRC.
If however, CEDAW was
incorporated into Malaysian law by an Act of Parliament, then if in court, any
provision of some existing law is found not in compliance with CEDAW, judges could simply reject such laws or the
use of it on grounds that it is inconsistent with CEDAW.
This adoption of a Convention as part
of Malaysian law by Parliament enables our judges and courts to immediately consider
the arguments that certain provisions in certain written laws and past
judgments are in fact in contradiction
with the relevant United Nations Conventions that Malaysia has already
ratified/signed.
At the same time, existing
legislation will be amended to be in compliance with the UN Convention Malaysia
ratified/signed. Even if the courts later discover some provision in some law
that is not consistent with a Malaysia ratified/signed UN Convention, no
injustice if Malaysia has already by law made the Convention part of Malaysian
law. The odd law, discovered by court, to be non-compliant could then be simply
amended in the upcoming Parliamentary session.
MADPET hopes that this new
Malaysian government will take the position of immediately passing laws
recognising and accepting UN Conventions ratified/signed by Malaysia to be part
of Malaysian law.
The UPR process commenced when
Malaysia was still governed by the UMNO-BN government, and as such things would
have changed under this new Pakatan Harapan-led government, under Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who is seen as being more committed to justice,
human rights and the rule of law. There is, as such, a lesser need to push
Malaysia vide recommendations and lobby, as this new alternative government
would definitely do the needful to ensure that there is greater justice, human
rights and rule of law in Malaysia.
The call to abolish death
sentences and protect the rights of the indigenous people were the top two
recommendations given to Malaysia by most United Nations members at the last
UPR of Malaysia in October 2013(Malay Mail, 25/10/2013) – but following recent
Cabinet decision to abolish the death penalty, and the assurance that the
relevant Bills will be tabled in the current Parliamentary session that will
end on 11/12/2018, UN member nations and others may likely use their limited about
3-minute intervention to make recommendations in other areas of human rights.
MADPET calls on Malaysia to take this upcoming UPR as an opportunity to commit to
ratifying/signing all outstanding fundamental human rights including Convention
Against Torture and the covenants to the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights(UDHR) including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Aiming Towards the Abolition of the Death Penalty(CCPR-OP2-DP);
MADPET also calls on Malaysia to immediately put into effect the policy
that ratified/signed UN Conventions are immediately made part of Malaysian law,
which could be done speedily by an Act of Parliament rather than present
practice of slowly amending various legislations which delays application and
reliance on principles and values in Malaysia ratified/signed UN Conventions;
MADPET urges Malaysia to expedite the passing of Acts of Parliament
that will abolish the death penalty, and also those draconian Detention Without
Trial Laws;
MADPET also urges that the Sedition Act and other draconian provisions
in laws affecting freedom of expression, opinion, media and peaceful assembly
be repealed so that all in Malaysia can effectively begin to experience such
human rights, which have been long denied by the former UMNO-BN regime.
MADPET urges that government will makes Malaysians proud during the UPR
of Malaysia by a demonstration of the highest commitment to human rights,
justice and Rule of Law.
Charles Hector
For and on behalf of
MADPET(Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture)
Malaysian Prabu, One of Possible 4, Executed By Singapore Disappointingly
This Week
Singapore should follow Malaysia in Abolishing Death Penalty as we strive
for a Death Penalty free ASEAN Region.
MADPET(Malaysians Against Death
Penalty and Torture) is very disappointed that Singapore, which is just one of
4 countries, still conducting execution for drug offences in 2017, has on
26/10/2018 went and hanged 31 year old Malaysian, Prabu Pathmanathan.
Prabu was sentenced to death for
committing several acts preparatory to and for the purposes of trafficking
227.82g of diamorphine or heroin into the island state on Dec 31, 2014.(Malaysiakini, 26/10/2018).
According to The Online Citizen(TOC)
report, Prabu is just one of a possible 4 persons who were executed this week. TOC
reported that ‘Ali Bin Mohamad Bahashwan was executed alongside his co-accused
Selamat Bin Paki on Wednesday afternoon (24 October 2018)…. Irwan Ali, a
Singaporean, is the other inmate who is set to be executed this Friday…’(TOC, 26/10/2018)
The Singapore Prison Service 2017
annual report showed eight people were executed in 2017, up from four in 2016.
Actual statistics of executions carried out in 2018 cannot be confirmed, as
Singapore continuous be ‘secretive’ and not transparent with such data. It is
believed that there may have already been about 8 executions to date in 2018.
Many a time in Singapore, one
becomes aware of upcoming executions, only when immediate family is informed
days before, take the trouble to inform anti-death penalty advocates and
groups.
The death sentence is provided
for drug-related crimes in about 15 countries, but according to Amnesty
International only four countries recorded drug offence executions in 2017 –
Singapore, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China.(South China
Morning Post/SCMP, 26/10/2018)
In reality, the majority of those
executed for drug trafficking will not be “kingpins” but are just low-level offenders.
Many may have been driven to
crime by reasons of poverty, which really highlights a failure of governments
in ensuring the wellbeing and livelihood of its people. Singapore, Malaysia and other States must really
look into the link of poverty to crime, and maybe the solution to crime
reduction a maybe a caring government policy that will ensure that no one will
ever needs to resort to crime out of desperation for the wellbeing of
themselves and their families.
Singapore also need to strive to
become a more caring and civilized nation, and do away with this archaic ‘death
penalty’ just like neighbouring Malaysia, who has already made the decision to totally
abolish the death penalty. In Malaysia, the necessary Bills will be tabled at
this current Parliamentary Session, that will give effect to the Cabinet decision to
abolish the Death Penalty.
MADPET calls on Singapore to
follow neighbouring Malaysia and abolish the death penalty, as we strive
forward for a more caring and civilized ASEAN where there is no more Death
Penalty and Torture.
MADPET also calls on Malaysia to
immediately identify Malaysians on death row at risk of being executed in
Singapore prisons, and proactively act now to save them from being executed by
Singapore. This is a priority, as knowledge about impending executions only
come to light at the eleventh hour, and that too in only certain cases.
MADPET further calls on Singapore
to impose a moratorium on executions, and abolish the death penalty’
Charles Hector
For and on behalf of MADPET(Malaysians
Against Death Penalty and Torture)
High contrast image of a hangman's noose from Shutterstock.com
4 executions set to take place within a span of 48 hours in Singapore — including one on Wednesday morning.
Ariffin Sha 2018-10-24Current Affairs
Update
(1.01pm on 26 October 2018) - TOC understands that the total number of
executions this week stands at 4 and not 3, as reported earlier. It has
come to our attention that Ali Bin Mohamad Bahashwan was executed
alongside his co-accused Selamat Bin Paki on Wednesday afternoon (24
October 2018). As a result of the lack of official data and statistics
regarding executions, we had to take some time to verify and confirm
this information before publishing this update. Prabu and Irwan were
executed earlier today at 6am. Full story here.
While
the newly elected Pakatan Harapan Government prepares to abolish the
death penalty and ramps up its efforts to save the lives of Malaysians
who are on death row abroad, their counterparts across the causeway seem
to be hellbent on what can only be described as an unprecedented and
vicious rampage.
Traditionally, executions in Singapore only take
place at dawn on Friday. The only exception in recent history is the
case of Kho Jabing who was originally set to be executed on Friday
morning but was hung on Friday afternoon instead owing to an
eleventh-hour appeal which was heard dismissed on the morning of his
execution. Following Jabing's execution, the time between an inmate's
execution and the time an inmate's family will be notified of the
execution decreased from two weeks to just one week.
This week,
Singapore is set to execute no less than four inmates in a span of just
48 hours. Earlier today (24 October 2018), Selamat Bin Paki and his
co-accused Ali Bin Mohamad Bahashwan were executed. This is the first
time that an inmate is being executed on a Wednesday. Another two
executions are slated for this Friday (26 October 2018). The family of Prabu N Pathmanathan,
a 31 year-old Malaysian national who is set to be executed this
Friday, was only notified of his execution date on 20 October 2018
according to a report from Malaysiakini. Irwan Ali, a Singaporean, is the other inmate who is set to be executed this Friday.
As
executions are not announced publicly, activists and lawyers face a
hard time trying to find out the execution dates of inmates. The short
time between when the families are notified and when the executions take
place also make it hard to arrange for family members, especially those
who live overseas and may not be able to afford to travel to Singapore,
to spend some time with the inmate during his/her final days and hours.
Prior to the case of Jabing, activists and lawyers also operated under
the assumption that if one could get an execution stayed, the inmate
would not be hung until the following Friday morning - giving more time
for the family to prepare for the execution and legal recourse, if any.
However, the "rush" to execute Jabing following the dismissal of his
criminal motion throws all of those assumptions, which were once widely
accepted as conventions surrounding execution by all parties, out of the
window. Kirsten Han, an anti-death penalty activist from Singapore,
summarises the bleak situation in the following words:
"It
is shocking to hear about a hanging taking place on a Wednesday,
departing from years of precedent where executions took place at 6am on
Fridays. Although it’s awful to hang people on any day of the week, this
move away from the prison’s usual practice means that the little that
we know about capital punishment in Singapore might no longer be true,
making the death penalty regime even more opaque and unaccountable to
the public than before.
We have also noticed that the time between
the rejection of a clemency appeal and the scheduling of an execution
has been reduced, which means families also have less time to mentally
and emotionally prepare themselves." - Kirsten Han, Second Chances
In
addition to the lack of rigidity surrounding the conventions governing
the process of execution, the Singapore Prisons Services and the
Ministry of Home Affairs is not transparent in relation to the total
number of executions per year. TOC understands that if the two
executions slated for Friday are carried out, it would mean that no less
than eight inmates were hung this year. This is an increase from the
total number of executions in 2017 (9) and is more than twofold increase
from the total number of executions in 2016, which stands at four.
M
Ravi, an international human rights lawyer who has been representing
clients on death row for almost 15 years now had this to say about the
executions this week:
"Though we were tragically
unable save Selamat Bin Paki this morning, I hope the government will
take immediate steps to impose a moratorium on death penalty by staving
off the two impending executions this Friday in line with what Malaysia
had recently done towards abolishing the death penalty. Quite rightly,
Malaysia has acknowledged that death penalty does not serve as a
deterrence. Our leadership needs the courage to recognise this, put
aside its ego and do the right thing."
Malaysian Law
Minister Liew Vui Keong told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that he received
news of Prabu's imminent execution only this morning (24 October 2018)
and shared that he intends to pen a letter to the Singapore Government
to halt Prabu's execution. He added that he plans to work with the
Foreign Ministry on this issue. When asked what would happen if the
execution were to be carried out, he replied “That will be a sad thing. I
hope they won't.”
Anti-death penalty activists in Singapore will
be organising a candlelight vigil for both Prabu and Irwan tomorrow
evening at 7.30pm at Hong Lim Park. More information on the vigil can be
found at this link.
TOC will update this article as the story develops. - TOC, 24/10/2018
A vigil before an execution in Singapore. Photo: AFP
Malaysian calls fall on deaf ears as Singapore executes drug trafficker Prabu Pathmanathan
The hanging of Prabu Pathmanathan comes despite high-level intervention
from Malaysia. Mahathir Mohamad’s government has made human rights key
to its agenda and vowed to abolish the death penalty
By Tashny Sukumaran Bhavan Jaipragas
Malaysian
officials and activists on Friday criticised neighbouring Singapore’s
decision to hang a Malaysian drug trafficker despite high-level
intervention from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s government for a
stay of execution.
Prabu Pathmanathan, 31, was the first Malaysian to be hanged in
Singapore since Mahathir’s government announced in September that it
would soon move to abolish the death penalty. Malaysia has installed a
moratorium on the punishment until then.
The administration, fresh off its election victory in May, has made human rights a key part of its policy agenda.
Capital punishment for serious crimes including murder and drug trafficking has been carried out in Singapore and Malaysia since the days of British colonial rule.
In some severe cases, execution had been mandatory – meaning judges had no alternative sentence if the accused was found guilty.
But after a review in 2012, the city state granted judges more discretion.
Since the September announcement that Malaysia would soon move towards total abolition, activists in the country have said they would go all out to save the lives of Malaysians facing execution abroad.
Activist and lawyer N. Surendran, who represented Prabu’s family in
their eleventh-hour attempt to obtain clemency for the 31-year-old,
confirmed to the South China Morning Post that the execution had taken place at dawn on Friday.
Surendran said Prabu’s family would cremate his remains later on Friday.
The Post has requested a comment from Singapore’s home affairs ministry.
Prabu in 2014 was convicted of smuggling 227.82g of diamorphine – or heroin – into Singapore.
“The execution was an unlawful, and brutal act, carried out in breach
of due process and in defiance of the appeals made by neighbouring
Malaysia,” said Surendran, who told the Post that several Malaysian cabinet members had spoken directly with Singaporean leaders in a failed bid to halt the execution.
A vigil for Prabu. Photo: Kirsten Han
Malaysian de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong earlier told local
media he had written to the Singapore government, urging it to commute
Prabu’s death sentence.
When asked by local media what would happen if the execution was
carried out, he responded: “It will be a sad day, I hope they don’t do
it.”
Surendran said on Thursday evening the Singapore President’s Office
had delivered a letter to Prabu’s family in response to their petition,
stating that “the clemency process has concluded” and it was “unable to
accede to [their] request”.
The lawyer criticised this move – saying the decision to “reject the
family’s clemency petition without even considering it” was unlawful.
Anti-death penalty activists said there had been seven executions in October – four this week including Prabu.
The Singapore Prison Service does not routinely release information
about executions apart from figures released in its annual report.
The 2017 annual report showed eight people were executed in 2017, up from four in 2016.
“It seems that executions are increasing in Singapore. The sort of
discussion among the Malaysian government that’s taking place now is not
taking place here,” said Kirsten Han, a prominent Singaporean
anti-death penalty activist and journalist.
A band calling for an end to the death penalty performs in Singapore. Photo: AFP
Said Han: “Singaporean society is told the death penalty keeps people
safe, that it’s a deterrent. This is the message that travels down from
leaders, but alternative deeper opinions are not aired.
“There have been studies that show when you explore the nuances,
support for the death penalty drops: the more you know about the death
penalty, the more likely you are to think twice.”
The Singapore government routinely pushes back against the country’s tiny but vocal anti-death penalty lobby.
Last year, law and home affairs minister K. Shanmugam slammed
activists for “romanticising individuals involved in the drug trade”.
The minister said capital punishment would remain part of Singapore’s
comprehensive anti-drug framework that includes rehabilitating abusers.
Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Forum Against Drugs, Shanmugam said: “I
have said repeatedly, [we] do not take any joy or comfort in having the
death penalty, and nobody hopes or wants to have it imposed.
“We do it reluctantly, on the basis that it is for the greater good
of society … it saves more lives. That is the rationale on which we have
it.”
Globally, 106 countries have abolished the death penalty and 142 in total are abolitionist in law or practice.
Related articles
It is meted out for drug-related crimes in 15
countries, but according to rights group Amnesty International only four
countries recorded drug offence executions in 2017 – Singapore, Iran,
Saudi Arabia, and China. - SCMP, 26/10/2018
The family of 31-year-old
Malaysian Prabu N Pathmanathan were informed last week he would be
executed on Friday..Prabu, 31, had been sentenced to death for
committing several acts preparatory to and for the purposes of
trafficking in 227.82g of diamorphine or heroin into the island state on
Dec 31, 2014.
Law Minister to appeal to S’pore to commute Malaysian’s death sentence
PETALING JAYA: Datuk Liew Vui Keong will write a letter to the
Singapore government to urge it to commute the death sentence of a
Malaysian man who is scheduled to be executed on Friday (Oct 26).
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said he hoped that
Singapore would commute Prabu Pathmanathan’s sentence to life
imprisonment.
Prabu, 31, had been sentenced to death for committing several acts
preparatory to and for the purposes of trafficking in 227.82g of
diamorphine or heroin into the island state on Dec 31, 2014.
“It will be a sad day. I hope they don’t do it,” he told reporters on
Wednesday (Oct 24) when asked what would happen if Singapore went ahead
with the execution.
Earlier
on Wednesday, Lawyers for Liberty advisor N. Surendran urged Putrajaya
to make “urgent and strenuous” efforts to save Prabu from the gallows.
Surendran said Prabu’s family had
been informed that the execution would be held at Changi Prison on
Friday for alleged drug trafficking.
“The family was only informed of
the Friday hanging on Oct 20 via a letter from the Singapore Prison
Services, which is less than one week’s notice.
“In the same chilling letter, the family was asked to make the ‘necessary funeral arrangements’,” Surendran said.
According to Surendran, there were doubts surrounding Prabu’s
conviction, adding that the drugs was found in a vehicle driven by
another person, and not Prabu.
He also claimed that the confessions obtained from Prabu by the prosecution for the trial were made under duress.
The Singapore Anti Death Penalty Campaign also called for the Singapore government to halt the execution of Prabu.
“Not only is it irreversible once an execution takes place, it also
creates another set of victims – the loved ones of the executed,” it
said in a statement.
On Oct 15, Liew had announced that the Malaysian government would go
ahead with plans to completely abolish the death penalty in this
country. – Star, 24/10/2018
Human rights groups urge Singapore to halt imminent executions
City-state expected to execute two men, including a Malaysian, following convictions for drug offences.
View through a vehicle window shows cell blocks inside Singapore’s Changi Prison [Vivek Prakash/Reuters]
Singapore is being urged to halt the planned
execution on Friday of two men convicted of drug-related offences amid
reports four people were hanged in the city-state in the past three
weeks.
The family of 31-year-old Malaysian Prabu N
Pathmanathan were informed last week he would be executed on Friday,
human rights groups said. Another man is also scheduled to hang but has
not been named.
“Singapore authorities must immediately halt plans
to kill these men and put a stop to this recent wave of callous
executions,” Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Amnesty International’s Singapore
researcher, said in a statement.
Singapore reportedly hanged a man on Wednesday and three others on October 5 also for drug-related offences, the group said.
Lawyers for Liberty, a Kuala Lumpur-based legal firm that specialises
in human rights cases, urged the Malaysian government to intervene to
stop the hanging.
Executions are usually carried out at dawn at Changi Prison.
“The death penalty is cruel and inhuman and particularly so when used
in drugs cases, which results in the execution of drug mules from poor
socio-economic backgrounds,” the firm’s N Surendran said in a statement.
‘Barbarity’
Admitting time was “running out”, Surendran and Prabu’s mother and
sister delivered an appeal for clemency to Singapore’s president,
Halimah Yacob, on Thursday.
“Malaysia has recognised the barbarity of the death penalty
and has recently announced its total abolition. Having taken that
position, the Malaysian government must do everything possible to save
citizens abroad who are facing execution,” it said.
Malaysia’s government that was elected in May has suspended
executions and announced its intention to abolish the death penalty for
all crimes.
De facto law minister Liew Vui Keong said he would write to the
Singapore government to request Prabu’s death sentence be commuted to
life imprisonment, local media reported on Thursday. Prabu was sentenced
to death in relation to the trafficking of 228kg of heroin into the
island state at the end of 2014.
“It is time for Singapore to re-establish its moratorium on the death
penalty and follow the government of Malaysia’s example,” Amnesty’s
Chhoa-Howard said.
Amnesty said it believes Singapore has carried out six executions
this year, all in relation to drug-offences. It said there were eight
executions last year. Singapore does not publicly disclose information
about its use of the death penalty.
Capital punishment was imposed or implemented for drug-related
offences in 15 countries last year, but executions for such crimes were
recorded in only four – China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
One-hundred and six countries across the world have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. – Al Jazeera, 25/10/2018
![View through a vehicle window shows cell blocks inside Singapore's Changi Prison [Vivek Prakash/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2018/10/25/f63c251687974f2f94194abf3cbe33e0_18.jpg "Human rights groups urge Singapore to halt imminent executions")