[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Sept. 8



SINGAPORE:

Singapore decried for 'harassment' of anti-death penalty activists



Singapore should end harassment of peaceful activists, Human Rights Watch has 
said, after participants at a candlelight vigil for a man being executed for 
drug trafficking were stopped from leaving the country.

On July 13, about 10 people, including opponents of the death penalty and 
relatives Prabagaran Srivijayan, 22, attended the vigil outside Changi Prison 
in support of the man, who was to be hanged early the next morning.

The man, who was executed on July 14, was convicted of trafficking 22.4 grams 
of heroin into Singapore.

During the vigil, participants said they were approached by police and told 
that a police report had been filed and that they were to remove the candles.

The police removed the candles and photographs of Prabagaran but the 
participants say they were not asked to disperse.

Assemblies and processions for a cause in public places without a permit is a 
criminal offense in Singapore. Anyone convicted of organizing such an assembly 
faces penalties of up to S$10,000 ($7,440) in fines and up to 6 months in jail.

The Singapore government has said that the law is required to provide for the 
individual's rights for political expression without compromising on "order and 
safety".

Among those at the vigil were a journalist, who is an activist against capital 
punishment, an editor of independent online blog "Online Citizen" and a 
filmmaker whose most recent work focused on the detention in 1987 of political 
activists under Singapore's Internal Security Act.

The 3 said in social media postings that they had been prevented from leaving 
the country, and had been told that they were required to stay in Singapore to 
assist police with an investigation.

As of Friday afternoon, police were not able to respond to requests by Reuters 
for comment.

Human Rights Watch said the government should respect the right of free speech 
and assembly.

"The government should end its harassment of activists campaigning against 
capital punishment and respect their rights to freedom of expression and 
peaceful assembly," the group said in a release on Thursday.

None of the 3 had been arrested or charged, Kirsten Han, the activist and 
journalist, told Reuters.

(source: Reuters)