Browsing Tag

death penalty

41 posts

The first execution notice of 2023

In this article, Kirsten Han discusses the case of Tangaraju, a man in Singapore who has been sentenced to mandatory death for his involvement in drug trafficking. Despite numerous issues with his case, including being questioned without a lawyer and not given an interpreter when he asked for one, Tangaraju has been given an execution notice. Han argues that Singapore’s harsh “zero tolerance” approach to drugs not only fails to address the root causes of drug use but also causes immense harm to individuals and communities. She urges people to take action to prevent Tangaraju’s execution and to push for the abolition of the death penalty and the adoption of harm reduction policies.

Singaporean activist and human rights lawyer raise concerns over impending execution amid troubling case detail

Singaporean activist Kokila Annamalai took to Facebook to express her concerns about the scheduled execution of Tangaraju Suppiah, who was convicted for abetting an attempt to traffic cannabis into Singapore. Annamalai argued that Suppiah was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty despite never handling the drugs he was convicted of trafficking. She also highlighted that Suppiah was denied a Tamil interpreter and legal representation during his police interrogation. Human rights lawyer M Ravi, who represented Suppiah in the past, called for reform in the legal system, emphasizing the vulnerability of the poor and marginalized in death penalty cases.

Malaysia takes significant step towards abolition of death penalty, say activists

Malaysia’s Lower House of Parliament has passed the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Bill 2023, which replaces 11 offences previously punishable by automatic death sentences with discretionary ones. Dr Lim Chee Han, co-founder of Agora Society Malaysia, praised the move as a “huge step forward” and hopes that it will motivate other countries to follow suit. Lawyer and anti-death penalty activist Ngeow Chow Ying noted that Malaysia has only abolished the mandatory death penalty, meaning judges still have the option to hand down death sentences. Meanwhile, Professor Saul Lehrfreund, Co-Executive Director of The Death Penalty Project, believes that Malaysia’s move is a major milestone and could inspire other countries in the region to reform their own death penalty laws.

Malaysia’s Parliament passes bill to abolish mandatory death penalty

Malaysia’s Parliament has passed the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Bill, which grants judges the discretion to impose the death penalty rather than requiring it for offenses that currently carry a mandatory death sentence. The bill also proposes replacing the mandatory death sentence with a new alternative of imprisonment for a period between 30 and 40 years, combined with no fewer than 12 strokes of the cane, as a replacement for life and natural life imprisonment. This change will apply to 34 offences currently punishable by death, including murder and drug trafficking.

Malaysian NGO expresses disappointment over delay in abolishing mandatory death penalty by PH-led government

Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (MADPET) expressed disappointment at the delay by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s PH-led government in tabling Bills to abolish the mandatory death penalty, despite assurances. MADPET called for immediate action as the Dewan Rakyat Parliamentary session ends on 4 April.

MHA accuses British billionaire of publicly peddling falsehoods about Singapore, after invitation for live debate with minister was rejected

Full response from Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs on 5 November 2022 to Sir…

British billionaire declines invitation for live debate; says brave thing for K Shanmugam to do is to engage Singaporean stakeholders

SINGAPORE — Sir Richard Branson has declined the open invitation by the…

Joint letter issued to MHA by IBAHRI and ICJ about how death penalty fail to comply with international human rights law and standards

SINGAPORE — In an open letter to Singaporean authorities published today (27 Oct), the International Bar…

Community Action Network calls for independent inquiry into S’pore Prison Service’s alleged breach of confidentiality regarding death row inmates’ privileged information

Singapore-based human rights coalition Community Action Network (CAN) has called for an…