Lawyer to call on UN to help save death row inmate
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Originally posted by crazy monkey:
The figures were most likely obtained from an Amnesty International (AI) report "Singapore -- The Death Penalty: A Hidden Toll Of Executions":
where do you get the stats from ?
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA360012004
Under Section 5 "Executions: The death toll continues to rise":
"Singapore is believed to have the worldÂ’s highest per capita execution rate, relative to its population. According to the UN Secretary-GeneralÂ’s quinquennial report on capital punishment, for the period 1994 to 1999 Singapore had a rate of 13.57 executions per one million population, representing by far the highest rate of executions in the world."
As expected, the Singapore government has fired back in rebuttal, claiming "AI has resorted to grave errors of facts and misrepresentations, which seriously calls into question the credibility of its Report":
http://www2.mha.gov.sg/mha/detailed.jsp?artid=990&type=4
Excerpt from the above rejoinder article:
Amnesty International's claim that the death penalty is a violation of international human rights standards
"6 In pursuing its international political agenda "Amnesty International opposes the death penalty worldwide in all cases without exception." AI makes the sweeping statement that the death penalty is a violation of international human rights standards.
"7 We do not agree with this. There is no international consensus on abolition of the death penalty. Key international instruments that apply to countries with wide divergences in cultures and values do not proscribe the use of the death penalty in their texts. For example, even the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides that the death sentence "may be imposed only for the most serious crimes".
"8 On the two occasions, in 1999 and 1994, that the European Union attempted to get the United Nations General Assembly to adopt a resolution that called for a moratorium on the death penalty with the view towards its abolition, these attempts failed. This was because a large majority of UN member states disapproved of the EU's attempt to impose their views and systems on the rest of the world. AI refers to the resolutions adopted in the UN Commission on Human Rights that encourage states to stop executions. However, AI failed to say that on at least seven occasions, a significant number of countries disassociated themselves from those resolutions. In 2003, 63 countries, or one-third of the UN's membership, disassociated themselves.
"9 AI accuses Singapore of "running counter to the worldwide trend towards abolition of the death penalty". But whether a country should retain or abolish capital punishment is a question for each country to decide, taking into account its own circumstances. Every country has the sovereign right to decide on its own judicial system. We do not live in a homogenous world. Within certain universally agreed broad parameters, international norms call for the respect of differences of views and beliefs. Singapore does not seek to impose its views on others. We only ask that others do not impose their views on us.
"10 Singapore weighs the right to life of the convicted against the rights of victims and the right of the community to live in peace and security. Taking into account our national circumstances, we have made a considered decision to retain the death penalty. It has worked for us, making Singapore one of the safest places in the world to live and work in."
Rest in peace, Shanmugam. -
Which precisely brings us to the weakness of laws, and we must all realise that laws are created by humans, and thus should be subject to review by humans, and not letting the law loom larger than its creators.Originally posted by Tuatau:Anybody ever noticed the figure of Justice is always the image of a blindfolded woman with sword in one hand and scales in the other?
Many could interpret the meaning of the blindfold, the sword and the scales, but has anybody wondered why the image is a woman and not a man?
Some believe the portrayal of a woman to represent Justice could be traced to Themis, the Greek goddess of justice and law. Some, on the other hand, prefer to believe Justice is portrayed as a woman because of a certain possibility -- that no matter how thick the blindfold could be, no matter how fair Justice aspires to be, there is a chance that miscarriage of Justice could still occur.
No justice system in any country is ever perfect, because judgment is always made by a human or a group of humans. There would always be humans whose rationale could be tampered by emotions, whose righteousness could be swayed by rhetoric, and whose morals could be purchased by money and fear of power.
We need the courage to look at our laws and review them.But for Shanmugum's twin sons, it will be too late for them because barring any extraordinary last minute clemency, they will be orphans come dawn.
It's not often that a capital case has ignited so much interest and debate from the public.But at least more people know about capital punishment and hopefully we as a society will be more enlightened on this issue as a result.
Pray for Shanmugum Murugesu, and pray for his sons too. -
Friday May 13, 8:58 AM Reuters
Singapore hangs drug trafficker
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SINGAPORE, May 13 (Reuters) - A Singaporean drug trafficker was hanged on Friday after his teenaged sons failed in a last-ditch bid to stop the execution, his lawyer said.
Shanmugam Murugesu, 38, was put to death by hanging at 0600 (2200 GMT) in Changi prison.
"The casket company is already at the prison preparing to take his body home for the funeral," his lawyer M. Ravi told Reuters.
Shanmugam was arrested at the Malaysian border in August 2003 with 1.03 kg (2.27 lb) of cannabis and lost an appeal against a conviction for drug trafficking. His clemency bid was rejected by Singapore's President S.R. Nathan last month.
The case has stoked controversy and put the spotlight on the high execution rate in Singapore, which enforces some of the world's toughest drug laws.
Anyone aged 18 or over convicted of carrying more than 500 grams (17.6 ounces) of cannabis faces mandatory execution by hanging.
In the past weeks, local groups had campaigned for Shanmugam, organising performances, forums and vigils in a rare display of activism for Singapore.
His twin 14-year-old sons, Gopalan and Krishnan Murugesu, had handed out hundreds of flyers in shopping districts to seek public support to stop Friday's execution.
In its 2004 report, rights group Amnesty International said about 400 people had been hanged in Singapore since 1991, mostly for drug trafficking, giving the wealthy city-state of 4.2 million people possibly the highest execution rate in the world relative to its population.
Amnesty said only six people sentenced to death in Singapore had been spared execution.
Singapore has defended its use of the death penalty and maintained that capital punishment has deterred major drug syndicates from establishing themselves in Singapore.
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Well, I hope muthafuckers like Skyline63 are jumping around in the streets...