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Mother of man set to hang in Singapore urges PM to intercede

Mother of man set to hang in Singapore urges PM to intercede

Prabagaran Srivijayan A woman today pleaded with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to intercede on behalf of her son, Prabagaran Srivija...

7:21 AM

Putrajaya urged to save Malaysian on Singapore death row

Putrajaya urged to save Malaysian on Singapore death row

Prabagaran Srivijayan The argument put forward by activist groups in Singapore, led by lawyer M Ravi, is that core elements involving preven...

8:59 AM

Singapore, Malaysia lawyers race against clock to save Malaysian from hangman

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1akBZt1ss-KDTrMZMiyo5MLEx34SAedzBQo8i1s2XeMTCocqWAB4gC6aEFREEDKVs2onfmv3ZyoeBgJhZvYZOWyOAWj_-aF0_rm9czm5MD2ZhHSanxldkjAK3cHgobB4A-imVtrM2hyM/s1600/Singaporean+M+Ravi%252C+founder+of+the+Singapore+Anti-Death+Penalty+Campaign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Singaporean M Ravi, founder of the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1akBZt1ss-KDTrMZMiyo5MLEx34SAedzBQo8i1s2XeMTCocqWAB4gC6aEFREEDKVs2onfmv3ZyoeBgJhZvYZOWyOAWj_-aF0_rm9czm5MD2ZhHSanxldkjAK3cHgobB4A-imVtrM2hyM/s400/Singaporean+M+Ravi%252C+founder+of+the+Singapore+Anti-Death+Penalty+Campaign.jpg" title="Singaporean M Ravi, founder of the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singaporean M Ravi, founder of the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>S Prabagaran is to be executed in Singapore before the end of the month for trafficking drugs in the island republic.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">PETALING JAYA: Malaysian S Prabagaran, 29, is doomed to the gallows for trafficking drugs in neighbouring Singapore in 2012 and is set to be executed in a couple of weeks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But a prominent Singaporean lawyer and two of his Malaysian counterparts are racing against the clock to save his life.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Singaporean M Ravi, who founded the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign is working with human rights lawyers Latheefa Koya and N Surendran to stop Prabagaran’s execution.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Both Latheefa and Surendran are members of PKR. Surendran is also the Padang Serai MP.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to Singapore website The Independent, the Malaysian lawyers may file for a judicial review in the Kuala Lumpur High Court for an order to compel Putrajaya to file an immediate complaint at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They hope that this would save Prabagaran from being “unlawfully executed” under customary international law, on account of a breach of his right to a fair trial in Singapore.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ravi also said he met with Malaysia’s ambassador-at-large for human rights Shafee Abdullah and briefed him on his ICJ memorandum addressed to the Malaysian government.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anti-death penalty activists in Singapore say that Prabagaran has maintained his innocence and helped Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau to disrupt drug activities. He is waiting for the result of his clemency petition to the Singapore President.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“If the Public Prosecutor so certifies, and if the offender is also merely a courier, then the sentencing judge has the discretion to impose life imprisonment in lieu of the death penalty,” said Ravi.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Both Singapore and Malaysia have strict anti-drug laws which can carry the death penalty.</div><br />Source: <a href="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/01/08/singapore-malaysia-lawyers-race-against-clock-to-save-malaysian-from-hangman/" target="_blank">FMT News</a>, January 8, 2017<br /><br /><br /><h2>Lawyers from both sides of Causeway cooperate to save Malaysian citizen sentenced to die in Singapore</h2><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The Singapore Anti-Death Penalty activists, led by human rights advocate M Ravi, are collaborating with lawyers and lawmakers from across the Causeway to save the life of a convict currently on death row, Prabagaran A/L Srivijayan (Praba).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Praba (age: 29) a Malaysian citizen was arrested on 12 April 2012 when he was just 24 years old, for a narcotic trafficking offence. He has been on death row for more than 4 years since 2012, and is awaiting the result of his clemency petition to the Singapore President.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Writing in his Facebook Mr Ravi said that he was extremely grateful to prominent Malaysian Human Rights Lawyers Latheefa Koya and N Surendren (also a Member of Parliament in Malaysia) for agreeing to represent Prabagaran in Malaysia.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They are considering filing an urgent application for Judicial Review in the High Court in KL for a court order to compel the Malaysian government to file an immediate complaint at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to save Prabagaran from being unlawfully executed under customary international law on account of breach of right to a fair trial in Singapore. Mr Ravi said that he also met with Malaysia's ambassador-at large for human rights, Tan Sri Dr Shafee Abdullah and briefed him on his ICJ memorandum addressed to the Malaysian government.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Ambassador assured Mr Ravi that he will speak to the Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs on Monday and do his level best to assist.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Singapore Anti-Death Penalty activists allege that Praba is being deprived of his life in a manner that is in breach of the principles of the separation of powers, the fundamental rules of natural justice, and the rule of law.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"In respect of a person who has been convicted of a drug offence that is punishable with death under the Second Schedule of the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA), Section 33B(2)(b) of the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) provides that the Public Prosecutor may certify that a person convicted of a drug offence punishable with the death penalty has substantively assisted the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in disrupting drug activities. If the Public Prosecutor so certifies, and if the offender is also merely a courier, then the sentencing judge has the discretion to impose life imprisonment in lieu of the death penalty. If the Public Prosecutor does not so certify, then the sentencing judge must sentence the offender to the death penalty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As discussed above, although in this case Praba has maintained his innocence, he has, in fact, done his best to provide CNB with credible leads that could well have resulted in persons involved in drug activities (i.e., Balu and Nathan) being apprehended."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They argue that the right to a fair trial is one of the most important fundamental human rights and that the death sentence imposed on Praba violates the right to fair trial under customary international law.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The activists said "the Public Prosecutor's determination of whether or not substantive assistance was provided is too fluid and unstable a standard by which to determine the penalty which an offender should receive."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In an earlier statement, they further strongly suggested that the matter should compel the Malaysian government to lodge a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and urged the Malaysian government to safeguard the life of its own citizen who is facing impending death.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The activists also urged the Malaysian government to consider several factors including the irreversibility of the death penalty and make submissions to ICJ without delay.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"In light of the punishment's irreversibility, the very limited time available may not be enough for preparing submissions to the ICJ. Therefore, if a submission to the ICJ is to be ultimately made, that submission should ideally be made as soon as possible."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In speaking to this publication, the activists say that Praba is likely to be executed by the State in the third week of January.</div><br />Source: independent.sg, January 8, 2017<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">➤ <b>Recommended reading:</b> <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.fr/2016/07/once-jolly-hangman-singapore-justice-in.html" target="_blank">Once a Jolly Hangman, Singapore Justice in the Dock</a>, July 23, 2016. <i>The government of Singapore does not want anyone to read this book. When it was first published in Singapore, police raided [author] Alan Shadrake's hotel room and arrested him. He was taken into custody and interrogated for two full days and two sleepless nights, then charged with contempt of court by "scandalising the judiciary". As Shadrake awaited trial, he discovered to his discomfort just what happens when a person challenges the Singapore system...</i></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr>   <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td>   <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td>  </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=JBVXEBZLP3WKW" target="_blank">DONATE!</a></b></div><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_blank"><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/fr_FR/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" /></div></form><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>

Singapore, Malaysia lawyers race against clock to save Malaysian from hangman

Singaporean M Ravi, founder of the Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign S Prabagaran is to be executed in Singapore before the end of the m...

4:35 AM

United Nations Confirm Request of Universal Moratorium on Executions

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbc_zsbdDalAnCERM7nttum4zrUSuCMpXhKNDF-AIa38ww8RPBYAeJEj9D5ThUCZJnVBTP263BoXqtIpmkryZzmbrIg8v3yGIlQtIw68ISLx-Zk72-GcufW8e8aqo4mZI-UZ1PLBvRyqE/s1600/Gallows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Gallows" border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbc_zsbdDalAnCERM7nttum4zrUSuCMpXhKNDF-AIa38ww8RPBYAeJEj9D5ThUCZJnVBTP263BoXqtIpmkryZzmbrIg8v3yGIlQtIw68ISLx-Zk72-GcufW8e8aqo4mZI-UZ1PLBvRyqE/s400/Gallows.jpg" title="Gallows" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">December 19, 2016: The General Assembly of the United Nations confirmed the demand for an end to the death penalty by the vote of a new resolution calling on states to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the practice. This is the sixth pro-moratorium text adopted since 2007. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The new resolution was adopted with 117 votes in favor (as in 2014), 40 no (two more than the 38 of 2014), while the abstainers were 31 (3 less than in 2014) and 5 absent at the time of vote (one more than in 2014). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Although the text contains an amendment, voted in the Third Committee in November on a proposal of Singapore, referring to the prerogatives of States to decide which type of punishment to impose in the face of the most serious crimes, the positive steps in strengthening the text are definitely more relevant. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As for new votes in favor, coming mostly from the African continent and from countries that abstained before, they were those of Guinea, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, as well as that of the Solomon Islands and Sri Lanka. It casted a vote in favor also Nauru, that in 2014 was absent. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Zimbabwe went from a contrary vote to one of abstention. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sergio D'Elia, Secretary of Hands Off Cain said: "I want to remind that the votes in favor for the first time in Swaziland and Malawi were the result of a mission of Hands Off Cain, with the support of the Italian Foreign Ministry. The mission was aimed exactly to get a favorable vote in the General Assembly, and in 2014 Zimbabwe had been a target country of our mission." </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">[S]trengthened the front of no Burundi and South Sudan, previously in favor, and the Maldives, previously abstained. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Passed from a vote in favor to a vote of abstention the Philippines, Seychelles, Equatorial Guinea and Niger, while Lesotho, absent in 2014, abstained this year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Among the absentees are the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal, both abstained in 2014, and Rwanda, formerly in favor. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This year's resolution has been strengthened in the part that requires states to "make available the relevant information about the use of the death penalty" (among other things, disaggregated by sex, age and race data, and also the number of prisoners on death row, and information about scheduled executions). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The General Assembly for the first time recognized the role that national human rights bodies to support local, national and regional debates on the death penalty. The Assembly for the first time highlighted the need for those who risk the death penalty to be treated with humanity and with respect for their dignity, in accordance with the international law on human rights. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The confirmation of the votes in favor of a universal moratorium on capital punishment is very important in a time when, faced with the emergency of terrorism, there is the danger of abdicating to the principles of law rather than strengthen them. The General Assembly vote shows us that we must continue to work to raise the threshold for the protection of human dignity in compliance with international treaties” said Sergio D'Elia, Secretary of Hands Off Cain. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">D’Elia concluded: “The new vote at the Palace of Glass, the sixth at the General Assembly in nine years, demonstrates that the path of dialogue, liberal and anti-prohibitionist, of the moratorium - and not the outright abolition of the death penalty - which since 1993 Hands Off Cain and the Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty have chosen to propose in all international fora, has proved to be the main way to overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable , and open doors that otherwise be inaccessible”. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sources: <a href="http://www.handsoffcain.info/news/index.php?iddocumento=20318287" target="_blank">Hands Off Cain</a>, December 19, 2016</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr>   <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td>   <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td>  </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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United Nations Confirm Request of Universal Moratorium on Executions

December 19, 2016: The General Assembly of the United Nations confirmed the demand for an end to the death penalty by the vote of a new reso...

1:40 AM

Expanding number of Australians potentially facing execution for drug smuggling in Asian countries

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1yYtKTaJud9qmNaZwcof388MVpewV6L9SI-SCyZ49hAZ58ztN7o5ZlFp71fVAFLXDKAJWIvJkmm9xvknbeH8nkvwW5qJGNTxwUOxShpjMFs72_e9fUX_JU3cu4bw-oKpSA6uDObDwd8/s1600/Return+to+Paradise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Screenshot from "Return to Paradise" by Joseph Ruben, 1998" border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1yYtKTaJud9qmNaZwcof388MVpewV6L9SI-SCyZ49hAZ58ztN7o5ZlFp71fVAFLXDKAJWIvJkmm9xvknbeH8nkvwW5qJGNTxwUOxShpjMFs72_e9fUX_JU3cu4bw-oKpSA6uDObDwd8/s400/Return+to+Paradise.jpg" title="Screenshot from "Return to Paradise" by Joseph Ruben, 1998" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot from "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124595/" target="_blank">Return to Paradise</a>" by Joseph Ruben, 1998</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Death by firing squad, hanging or lethal injection are the possible fates of an  expanding number of Australians who could face execution for drug smuggling in  Asian countries. <br /><br />Last year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said that the  number of Australians on death row around the world was 17, with more than half  detained in China and the others in countries including Malaysia, Vietnam and  Singapore. <br /><br />On Wednesday, DFAT refused to reveal just how many Australians are on death row  in several Asian countries. <br /><br />However, last year's total of 17 is believed to have grown, following the  arrest of 2 women in Vietnam allegedly with large amounts of heroin. <br /><br />DFAT did reveal 36 of the 40 Australians in custody in Vietnam were on drug  charges, but would only say "a number of these face the death penalty". <br /><br />Vietnam applies the death penalty is cases of trafficking of 100 grams of  heroin or more, replacing firing squads with lethal injection 3 years ago. <br /><br />Australian Nguyen Thi Huong who was sentenced to execution has had her death  penalty commuted to life, which means the 73-year-old will die in a Ho Chi Min  prison. <br /><br />Peter Gardner was arrested with Sydney woman, Kalynda Davis who was later  released by Chinese prison authorities without charge. <br /><br />But a second Australian woman aged 37, who was arrested in Vietnam in June this  year, has yet to be publicly named but will face death by lethal injection if  convicted. <br /><br />DFAT media would only say that 77 Australians are under arrest, detention or in  prison in China, and 17 of those are on drug charges. <br /><br />Under China's drug laws, anyone convicted of possessing more than 50g of heroin  or methamphetamines can be sentenced to death. The Chinese government uses  lethal injection and the firing squad, with the latter more common for drug  crimes. <br /><br />Australian/New Zealand dual national Peter Gardner is expected to learn his  fate in late January when a Guangzhou Court may deliver its verdict on his  case. <br /><br />Gardner, 27, was arrested at Guangzhou airport in November 2014 with Australian  woman Kalynda Davis. <br /><br />Davis was later freed without charge, but Gardner was indicted for allegedly  attempting to smuggle a massive 30kg of methamphetamine from China to  Australia. <br /><br />Australian grandmother Nguyen Thi Huong had 2.8kg of heroin in soap bars. <br /><br />At least 4 other Australians are believed to have received death sentences, or  suspended death sentences in China, which may be commuted to life imprisonment. <br /><br />The conditions in Chinese prisons are harsh, with 15 prisoners sharing a 6m x  3m cell, taking turns on a sleeping platform and sharing a single open toilet. <br /><br />Australian woman Maria Exposto faced charges in court last month in Malaysia,  which strictly imposes mandatory death by hanging for those possessing 15g of  heroin or 40g of cocaine. <br /><br />Malaysia has hanged three Australians for drug trafficking, Kevin Barlow and  Brian Chambers in 1986 and Michael McAuliffe in 1993. <br /><br />Australian man Van Tuong Nguyen hanged in Singapore in 2005. Indonesia executed  Bali 9 ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. <br /><br />China has also cracked down on people carrying drugs to be sold for profit  rather than for personal use. <br /><br /></div><h3>PETER GARDNER, 27 </h3><br />Charge: Attempt to smuggle 30kg methamphetamine in suitcases on Sydney flight  at Guangzhou airport in November 2014 <br /><br />Death penalty: China/ Firing squad <br /><br />Dual Australian and New Zealand citizen, Peter Gardner was arrested with his  then girlfriend, Sydney promotions representative Kalynda Davis, at Guangzhou  Airport in November 2014. <br /><br />Gardner allegedly tried to board a Sydney flight with Davis and two suitcases  full of 3kg of ice worth $20 million in bags. <br /><br />Guangzhou authorities say the suitcases, which were superglued, contained the  biggest haul of methamphetamine recorded at the airport. <br /><br />Davis' policeman father made a mercy dash to China and his daughter was  released without charge and sent home in December. <br /><br />But Gardner has been languishing in a Guangzhou prison since. <br /><br />Gardner told a Guangzhou court earlier this year that he thought the suitcases  contained the performance enhancing sport drugs, peptides, and that this was  "the biggest mistake of my life". <br /><br />He reportedly faces another hearing in January 2017, at which he may learn  whether he will be convicted and sentenced to death. <br /><br /><h3>PHAM TRUNG DUNG, 37 </h3><br />Charge: Smuggling 4kg heroin in suitcases onto a Sydney-bound flight <br /><br />Death penalty: Vietnam/ Lethal injection <br /><br />Dung was discovered with more than 4kg of heroin in 2 suitcases as he boarded a  flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Australia in May 2013. <br /><br />Dung told a Ho Chi Minh City court that he had been living in Australia with  his partner and 2 sons and was made an offer he couldn't refuse. <br /><br />An unidentified man paid him $40,000 to transport the drugs back to Australia  and deliver them to an acquaintance. <br /><br />Sentenced to death in June 2014, Dung may appeal but faces lethal injection. <br /><br />Death by hanging could be the fate of Maria Exposto for trafficking 1.1kg of  ice if a Malaysian court convicts the Melbourne woman. <br /><br /><h3>MARIA ELVIRA PINTO EXPOSTO, 52 </h3><br />Charge: 1.1kg methamphetamine in 2014 <br /><br />Death penalty: Malaysia/ Hanging <br /><br />Sydney grandmother Maria Exposto was stopped at the Kuala Lumpur airport  customs desk on December 7, 2014. <br /><br />Exposto was in transit from Shanghai and about to catch a Malaysian Airlines  flight to Melbourne. <br /><br />Customs officer Mohd Noor Nashariq scanned her bag and allegedly found 1.1kg of  methamphetamine secreted in a hand stitched compartment. <br /><br />In Malaysia, death by hanging is mandatory for anyone convicted of carrying  more than 50g of drugs. <br /><br />Exposto has maintained her innocence since her arrest, claiming she travelled  to Shanghai for romance with a man claiming to be a US serviceman, but who  turned out to be a scammer. <br /><br />She says a stranger duped her into carrying a backpack, which she believed was  full of clothes, not drugs, to Melbourne. <br /><br />Customs officers found the ice stitched into the pack. <br /><br />Exposto faced hearings at the Shah Alam High Court last month but no decision  has been made as to her verdict or fate. <br /><br /><h3>NGUYEN THI HUONG, 73 </h3><br />Charge: Boarding a December 2014 flight for Sydney with 2.8kg of heroin hidden  in 36 bars of soap <br /><br />Death penalty: Vietnam/ Lethal injection <br /><br />Sentenced to death by lethal injection in June this year after the Ho Chi Minh  City People???s Court found her guilty of attempting to smuggle 2.8kg of heroin  in bars of soap 2 years ago. <br /><br />Huong said a woman gave her the soap and she planned to take them back to  Australia as gifts for family. <br /><br />She said she did not know it contained heroin, but the Ho Chi Minh City court  rejected her defence in a half day trial. <br /><br />Late last month, the People's High Court reduced the great grandmother???s  death sentence to life in prison, which means she will die in Chi Hoa prison,  which is infamous for its harsh and squalid conditions. <br /><br /><h3>UNNAMED AUSTRALIAN WOMAN, 37 </h3><br />Charge: Trafficking 4.8kg of heroin in her luggage. <br /><br />Death penalty: Vietnam/Lethal injection <br /><br />Arrested in June this year, the 37-year-old Australian of Vietnamese origin was  detained at Tan Son Nhut Airport in the southern hub of Ho Chi Minh City. <br /><br />Officials claim they found nearly 5kg of heroin hidden in picture frames in her  luggage. <br /><br />The woman allegedly told officers she was paid $33,500 to transport the heroin  to Australia. <br /><br />She has yet to face trial, but Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug  laws and trafficking even small amounts of heroin is punishable by death. <br /><br />Queensland man Ibrahim Jalloh is reportedly awaiting trial in China on drug  charges. <br /><br /><h3>BENGALI SHERRIF AND IBRAHIM JALLOH </h3><br />Charge: in June 2014 <br /><br />Death penalty: China/ Firing squad <br /><br />Chinese officials arrested the 2 young men from Queensland at Guangzhou airport  in June 2014 in possession of methamphetamine. <br /><br />Sherrif has received a "suspended" death sentence, but the outcome is  uncertain. <br /><br />Jalloh, who has an intellectual disability, has received a suspended death  sentence, which may be commuted to life in prison. <br /><br /><h3>HENRY CHHIN </h3><br />Charge: concealing 270g of methamphetamine in computer equipment in May 2004/  700g of meth in furniture in 2014 <br /><br />Death penalty: China/ Firing squad <br /><br />Shanghai police intercepted 270g of ice concealed in computer equipment which  they alleged Chhin tried to send from China to Australia in 2005. <br /><br />Chhin was sentenced to death and his sentence was suspended for 2 years. <br /><br />But Shenzen police uncovered a further 700g of meth in cabinets at Chhin's  residence, and his fate is currently unclear. <br /><br /><h3>ANTHONY BANNISTER, 43 </h3><br />Charge: Attempt to smuggle 3kg of methamphetamine to Australia <br /><br />Death penalty: China/ Firing squad <br /><br />Former Adelaide jockey Bannister was arrested at Guangzhou International  Airport in March 2014. <br /><br />Customs officers claim they found 3kg of methamphetamine in envelopes inside 8  handbags in his luggage. <br /><br />Bannister claims he was set up by online conmen who convinced him he could  obtain a lucrative divorce settlement from his former wife. <br /><br />Bannister's lawyer told a court that he was given a suitcase containing women's  handbags to take back to Australia as a favour. <br /><br />Given a suspended death sentence, he may end up with life in a Chinese prison,  but is appealing his conviction. <br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/courts-law/aussies-on-death-row-for-drugs-in-asian-countries-grows/news-story/1e90e472b139606a5fba985b8cc66b87" target="_blank">abs.com.au</a>, December 16, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr>   <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" 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Expanding number of Australians potentially facing execution for drug smuggling in Asian countries

Screenshot from " Return to Paradise " by Joseph Ruben, 1998 Death by firing squad, hanging or lethal injection are the possible f...

3:26 AM

Think Centre, Forum Asia call for Singapore to vote for resolution on moratorium on use of death penalty

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocSMMi9QykL1JPSIggU-Bd-Rk2XYOaYkzWoEpPl1l524ZhGIHzm2ruORxZVsKrS7WgGZBNKAi6zYu3uKUT536fW7qt8gnTEBItybSBqUu7uU9n5lC21w19mPYAApSpwBuUj6PzzvE9b4/s1600/UN_Headquarters_NYC_USA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="UN Headquarters NYC" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocSMMi9QykL1JPSIggU-Bd-Rk2XYOaYkzWoEpPl1l524ZhGIHzm2ruORxZVsKrS7WgGZBNKAi6zYu3uKUT536fW7qt8gnTEBItybSBqUu7uU9n5lC21w19mPYAApSpwBuUj6PzzvE9b4/s400/UN_Headquarters_NYC_USA.jpg" title="UN Headquarters NYC" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Monday, 19 December 2016, in New York, the 193 member nations of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will vote on the resolution "Moratorium on the Use of the Death Penalty".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Singapore has in the past shown little interest in human rights, and the government has always maintained broad powers to limit them. But since 1995 it has ratified 4 and signed 2 UN treaties. It has been trying to show that it does pay attention to the human rights practices within the country. The Think Centre and human rights groups view the "human rights framework" as applicable to all areas of governance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Today's Singapore is gradually a party to more human rights conventions and wants to be recognised by its international peers for its efforts. This is good for international trade and rightly it should also be seen as good business sense. However, it should abandon any misguided hopes of undermining enshrined human rights principles in practice.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Singapore laws, especially on the death penalty, are rooted in our colonial history, which the colonial masters used to reign in, control and exploit a disunited colony of immigrants. Such archaic colonial practices and attitudes should be reviewed and removed from the penal code.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We believe that the main aim of the majority of the nations that seek to vote against the resolution is to keep tight control over political power. Many of them achieve this through impunity; unabated discrimination and mistreatment of its peoples, at the expense of the most vulnerable. Singapore, by far one of the most developed and relatively peaceful nations, stands out as an oddity in keeping company with this group of mostly suppressive nations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2015, 104 countries had abolished the death penalty for all crimes, 6 countries have abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes, and 30 countries are abolitionist in practice. Among the 58 retentionist countries and territories, only 25 countries carried out executions that year. Many countries that still retain the death penalty also do not carry out the sentences.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If Singapore wants to play the cautious conservative on the issue of enacting a moratorium, which is a clear commitment in recognising the sanctity of human life, it can abstain and watch as it falls behind in moral authority among its peers. The Think Centre, however, urges the Singapore government to rise up to the moral challenge and vote for the resolution on moratorium on the use of the death penalty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The United Nations resolution on moratorium on the use of the death penalty calls on countries to: Progressively restrict the use of the death penalty and reduce the number of offences for which it may be imposed; and establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty; and calls upon States which have abolished the death penalty not to reintroduce it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Think Centre, a member of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP) and Forum Asia, is for the abolishing of the death penalty for all crimes.</div><br />Source: theonlinecitizen.com, December 18, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr>   <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td>   <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td>  </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Think Centre, Forum Asia call for Singapore to vote for resolution on moratorium on use of death penalty

On Monday, 19 December 2016, in New York, the 193 member nations of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will vote on the resolution ...

2:27 AM

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Think Centre, Forum Asia call for Singapore to vote for resolution on moratorium on use of death penalty

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