Amnesty International Australia
Media Release 22 October 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Singapore: Appalling decision to execute Van Tuong Nguyen
Amnesty International is appalled at the decision by the Singapore
government to reject Van Tuong Nguyen's final appeal against his death
sentence.
Van Tuong Nguyen, 25, from Melbourne, is facing execution within weeks
after his appeal for clemency was rejected by the Singapore government. He
was convicted of drug trafficking in March 2004 and handed a mandatory
death sentence under Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act.
"This decision is devastating for Van Tuong Nguyen and his family,
rejecting his application for clemency despite any mitigating
circumstances in his case," said Tim Goodwin, coordinator of Amnesty
International's Asia Pacific Anti-Death Penalty Network.
"The decision is also a blow to the growing number of people in Singapore
and around the world who believe the country should instead be moving to
abolish this cruel and inhuman punishment," he said.
Amnesty International is appealing to Singapore's Cabinet to reconsider
its decision and commute the death sentence against Van Tuong Nguyen.
"While an overwhelming majority of countries have rejected the death
penalty, Singapore has a shocking record, hanging more than 420 people
since 1991," Tim Goodwin said. "With a population of just over four
million, it has the highest execution rate in the world."
Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act specifies a mandatory death sentence for
at least 20 different offences. "This is the real impact of Singapore's
mandatory death sentences. The courts have no discretion to consider any
mitigating factors, which can result in decisions which are completely
disproportionate to the circumstances of the case," Tim Goodwin said.
Under Singapore's Constitution, there is an entitlement to the expectation
in rare circumstances for clemency. Amnesty International is astonished
that clemency was not granted given that Van Tuong Nguyen meets the
criteria for expectation of clemency - he has always shown remorse,
confessed at the earliest opportunity and cooperated fully with the
authorities in addition to the sentence itself being disproportionate to
the offence.
In recent months there has been unprecedented discussion about the death
penalty in Singapore, which is usually stifled by tight government
controls on the press and community organisations.
"More Singaporeans are now starting to discuss the cruel and arbitrary
nature of the death penalty, but the Singapore government is persisting
with a brutal punishment which violates the most fundamental of human
rights - the right to life," Tim Goodwin said.
