Human rights lawyer M Ravi has served a legal notice to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) seeking assistance on behalf of a Singaporean woman facing the death penalty in China.
Mr Ravi in a Facebook post on Monday (14 December) said on behalf of Carson Law Chambers that they “have made frantic efforts” to secure legal representation in China for their client.
Mr Ravi said that they have done so with the assistance of Lyndon Lee, their colleague in China.
Ms Aslinda was handed down the death sentence for drug trafficking, which entails execution by shooting.
Attaching a copy of the letter addressed to MFA, the firm noted that Ms Aslinda is “currently waiting for her case to be reviewed for appeal by the Guangdong High Court”.
In their letter to MFA, Carson Law Chambers sought — among other details — information such as the date of the first verdict before Ms Aslinda’s appeal, reasons as to why the verdict was only given after six years, the purpose of the monthly S$100 given to Ms Aslinda for the past six years, and particulars regarding any actions the Ministry has taken regarding the matter.
Earlier in a Facebook post last Friday (11 December), Mr Ravi disclosed how he had received instructions from Ms Aslinda’s sister, Siti Rasnah, regarding the case.
Mr Ravi said that Ms Siti Rasnah had reached out to him about her 35-year-old sister who was sentenced to death for drug trafficking despite allegedly not carrying any drugs on her.
According to Mr Ravi’s narration, it was Ms Aslinda’s boyfriend who allegedly possessed the drugs when they both landed in Shenzhen, China.
Mr Ravi said that according to Ms Siti Rasnah, MFA has not seen Ms Aslinda for about a year. On top of that, no lawyer had reportedly been engaged to defend Ms Aslinda in the past five years since her arrest.
Ms Siti also told Mr Ravi that she was told she could not see her sister in the Chinese prison.
“I have immediately contacted my legal network in China both in Shenzhen and Beijing. Lyndon Lee, my colleague from China is coordinating with the legal network there to save Azlinda (sic),” Mr Ravi wrote on Friday.
