12 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Asia Pacific have issued a joint statement in support of Mr M. Ravi, a capital defence lawyer and human rights defender in Singapore with over two decades of experience.
The statement comes after the Court of Three Judges imposed a five-year suspension on Ravi on 21 March under s83(1)(b) of the Legal Profession Act 1986, and also ordered him to pay the costs of the Law Society’s application.
Mr Ravi has been facing several disciplinary hearings and police investigations, resulting in personal fines of over S$70,000, mostly from death penalty cases that he has undertaken, most of which were run on a pro-bono basis.
The suspension of a capital defence lawyer in relation to their public comments, for the maximum possible length of time, from being unable to partake in their livelihood, sends a chilling message to capital defence lawyers in Singapore, according to the NGOs.
The NGOs cited the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Judges and Lawyers Margaret Satterthwaite, who stated that “Lawyers, like everyone, are entitled to freedom of expression.”
The NGOs challenged the Courts’ contention that Mr Ravi poses a “continuing danger” to the public confidence in the Singaporean judicial system.
Instead, they argue that Mr Ravi has demonstrated the key role that capital defence lawyers play in ensuring necessary access to justice at every stage of the criminal justice system for those facing irreversible punishment.
The NGOs listed several cases where Ravi’s representation was instrumental in saving the lives of death row inmates.
They noted that Mr Ravi filed an urgent Application to Re-Open an Appeal for Syed Suhail just days before his scheduled execution resulting in the discovery that 13 prisoners – including 12 persons on death row – had collectively had 68 personal letters – including some letters to lawyers – leaked to the Attorney-Generals’ office by the Singapore Prison Service.
“Without M. Ravi, Yong Vui Kong, Gobi a/l Avedian, Syed Suhail and a number of others would have been executed.”
They also pointed out that recent developments threaten the right to a fair trial, with consequences of this issue leading straight to the question of the right to life.
The NGOs noted the Court’s reference to Ravi’s reliance on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as being “misconceived.”
They argued that the idea that a recognised chronic mental health condition can be “switched off” and not have any relevance – particularly in the context of running a capital defence case – flies in the face of what we know of the experience of persons living with disabilities.
The NGOs called on the Singapore authorities to halt its current spate of executions in line with the global trend towards abolition and to end the harassment of lawyers who dedicate their lives to defend those without a voice.
They also expressed concern that suspending one of the few lawyers prepared to accept these cases could be disastrous for the rule of law that underpins the Singapore legal system.
“We call on the Singapore authorities to halt its current spate of executions in line with the global trend towards abolition and to end the harassment of lawyers who dedicate their lives to defend those without a voice.”
Signatories of the joint statement:
- Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network
- Abdorrahman Boroumand Center (Iran)
- Amnesty International Australia
- Australians Against Capital Punishment (Australia)
- Capital Punishment Justice Project (Australia)
- Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM)
- Forum Asia
- Harm Reduction International
- Julian Wagner Memorial Fund (Australia)
- Justice Project Pakistan
- Odhikar (Bangladesh)
- Transformative Justice Collective (Singapore)
