Lawyers for Liberty has condemned the Singapore government after the Singapore attorney-general served human rights lawyer M Ravi with contempt of court applications.
"Ravi is prominent for his determined defence of drug mules on death row, including many Malaysian citizens.
"These contempt proceedings are allegedly based on Ravi’s conduct during two cases that he handled in November 2021.
"Among other things, he is alleged to have been ‘rude’ to the court; this is a ridiculous reason to cite a defence counsel for contempt," said LFL chief coordinator Zaid Malek.
He said it was also baffling and suspicious that the contempt charges were only activated amidst Ravi’s involvement in the proceedings in the challenges against the execution of mentally disabled Malaysian citizen Pausi Jefridin and Roslan Bakar last week.
"A fair justice system which upholds the rule of law, must include the protection of lawyers executing their duties on behalf of their clients.
"This principle is sacrosanct, and has been recognised in the United Nations Basic Principles of the Role of Lawyers adopted in 1990, which among others states the governments shall ensure that lawyers are able to perform their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference," added Zaid.
He said that punitive sanctions against lawyers for executing their duties is an abhorrent act that goes against international human rights norms.
"Ravi has stood at the forefront of in defending rights in Singapore, and this is not the first time the attorney-general has resorted to intimidating tactics in an attempt to not only persecute Ravi, but to discourage any lawyers in Singapore from vigorously pursuing court challenges in Singapore’s notorious and deadly death penalty regime," he said.
S’pore violating its own constitution
Zaid pointed out that the Singapore Constitution itself in Article 9(3) recognises the right of any person to be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice.
He alleged that the government of Singapore, however, has breached this right.
Ravi is also representing another mentally disabled Malaysian, Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, in his legal challenge against the death sentence.
"It is bad enough that Singapore has been targeting for the death penalty low-level drug mules like Nagaenthran and Pausi; it is worse when they are denied basic legal representation.
“In 2010, Singapore convicted British author Alan Shadrake, sentencing him to six weeks in jail and fining him for scandalising the judiciary over his book ‘Once A Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Docks.’
“This was after Shadrake claimed that Singapore’s legal system does not deliver equal treatment to those charged in capital punishment cases.
“We hereby urge the Singapore government and attorney-general to withdraw the committal proceedings against Ravi, cease all further intimidation and persecution against him and uphold the rule of law in the process of its criminal justice system.”
Human rights group Sebaran Kasih recently called on Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah to request for statistics from Singapore’s home minister regarding Malaysians on death row in Singapore.
The group specifically asked for data on the number of Malaysians on death row in Singapore who have received the Certificate of Substantive Assistance (CSA).
Sebaran Kasih also urged Saifuddin to obtain information regarding the number of Malaysians sentenced to death in Singapore, the number of death sentences reserved and commuted on appeal for Malaysians, and the number of instances in which clemency has been granted to Malaysians.
The group claimed that Singapore was practising double standards when it comes to sentencing Malaysian convicts on death row. - Mkini
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