IPOH, Feb 4 — A former prison officer who claims to have information on “unlawful execution practices” at Changi Prison, as raised by two Malaysians on Singapore’s death row, has no immunity from prosecution, the country’s Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) has said.
In a report published today, Singapore’s Straits Times (ST) said the lawyer for the two inmates’ families, Zaid Malek, had informed it of the AGC’s response after he had received copies of the court documents last week.
The same report also quoted Singapore’s prison authorities as stating in a related document that “there was no known instance of the rope used for executions snapping, which allegedly would have required prison officers to kick the back of the prisoner’s neck to complete the execution”, as claimed by the two inmates.
The two death row inmates, Gobi Avedian, 31, and Datchinamurthy Kataiah, 34, are seeking an order from Singapore’s High Court to stay their executions pending a probe into the allegations about the unlawful execution methods, on the grounds that it breaches the Singapore Constitution.
The Malaysian duo had also sought a court order last month, through their Singapore lawyer M. Ravi, to protect the former prison officer from any liabilities so that he may reveal more.
They were sentenced to death in Singapore for capital offences that involve drug trafficking.
The duo pointed to allegations made by Malaysian rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) on January 16 that claimed executions at Changi Prison are carried out in an unlawful manner.
They said that they would be made to suffer an execution that breaches relevant articles of the Singapore Constitution on the rule of equal treatment before the law if the rope were to break when their sentences are carried out.
Zaid said the court document filed made it clear that Singapore’s attorney general (AG) had rejected the demand for immunity as raised by the two inmates.
The former also noted that judicial executions are conducted in the presence of several witnesses, including the prison superintendent and the medical officer who examines the body of the inmate immediately after execution as required by law.
He added that a coroner has to conduct an inquiry within 24 hours to check whether the execution was conducted in accordance with the law.
ST reported that a High Court pre-trial conference is due in two weeks.
Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs had previously rejected LFL’s allegations in a detailed response last month, calling them “untrue, baseless and preposterous”.
LFL was also ordered to make a correction under Singapore’s Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) on its website.
It refused to comply, prompting Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority to direct internet service providers in Singapore to block its website.
The group also filed a lawsuit with the High Court in Malaysia on January 24 against Singapore Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam over a directive that he issued on the matter.
