Think Centre is disappointed and sad that Nguyen Tuong Van was hanged by the Singapore government at Changi prison on Friday Decemebr 2nd, 2005 at 6 am. The young man was 'killed" by the state of Singapore.
The Singapore government imposes a mandatory death sentence on drug trafficking "simple possession of drugs", which is inconsistent with the criteria of absolute necessity and proportionality.
Think Centre and the concern people of Singapore apologize to Nguyen's family and all those suffering families of victims who were killed by the state of Singapore under its mandatory death penalty law.
The death penalty is the ultimate violation of human rights - the right to life.
The Singapore government's decision to carry out this and other executions, is at odds with current global trends to abolish the death penalty.
The Singapore government should acknowledge these trends and move to abolish the "cruel, inhumane and degrading" use of the death penalty.
Think Centre urge the Singapore government to impose a moratorium on all executions, with a view to complete abolition, in line with the April 2005 UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) resolution on the question of the death penalty.
Think Centre's call to right to life in connection with death penalty is guided by the desirability of abolition of the death penalty which has been expressed on numerous occasions by the UN General Assembly, the Human Rights Committee, the Economic and Social Council and Security Council [in its resolutions 808 (1993) of 22 February 1993 and 955 (1994) of 8 November 1994]
Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, affirms the right of everyone to life, the abolition of the death penalty is essential for the protection of the right to life.
The right to life is also defended by article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and articles 6 and 37 (a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Article 6(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), strictly restricts a sentence of death to be imposed only for the "most serious crimes" such as intentional murder.
The death penalty, just like torture, is considered as a form of "cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment". It is a violation of a person's right to life as guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The abolition of the death penalty is essential for the protection of this right to life.
Think Centre is currently campaigning to save the lives of 2 Africans who are on death row drug trafficking.
Mr. Iwuchuku Amara Tochi (19) and Okele Nelson Malachy, were arrested on 27 November 2004 at Changi Airport in Singapore, and given the death sentence after concluding a 13-day trial. Tochi was arrested for allegedly carrying heroine with him while Malachy was nabbed in a subsequent police operation after Tochi identified him as one of his companions.
There are number of prisoners, including foreign nationals, facing death sentences in Singapore. However, the government has continued carrying out the death penalty instead of addressing the root problems.
Think Centre has started an online petition calling on the government to declare an immediate moratorium on the death penalty, to save the lives of those on the death-row. It states that the death penalty is being used inconsistently with the criteria of absolute necessity, and requests to remove the mandatory capital punishment for simple drug possession. It further states that overcoming social problems and bringing criminal masterminds to justice is much more effective than hanging those presumed to be traffickers for simple possession of drugs.
The petition will continue as long as the Singapore government continues to implement death penalty.
To support, please:
Sources and Relevant Links:
Think Centre SINGAPORE: Two Africans sentenced to death
AHRC URGENT APPEAL Two Africans sentenced to death Send Appeal Letters
Singabloodypore blog Two Africans sentenced to death
News24 SA man may hang for R12m drugs
UN E/NL.2000/52 MISUSE OF DRUGS ACT (CHAPTER 185)
