NGO urges S’pore to stop harassing human rights lawyer
KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyers for Liberty has taken Singapore authorities to task for harassing prominent city-state human rights lawyer M. Ravi.
The non-governmental organisation’s adviser, N. Surendran, said Ravi has been the repeated target of harassment and intimidation by Singapore’s government and its attorney-general ever since the Singapore-born lawyer took up the cases of Malaysian drug mules on death row at Changi Prison Complex.
“For example, as recently as last month, the Singapore A-G threatened to take action against Ravi during a court hearing in which Ravi represented Malaysian death row prisoners Datchinamurthy Kataiah and Gobi Avedian,” Surendran said.
He said the latest incident on Friday saw Singapore police raid Ravi’s legal firm.
Singapore police claimed they were investigating Ravi for contempt of court in relation to a case in- volving a Singaporean who was extradited from Malaysia, in which the lawyer was acting as a counsel.
Surendran added that Ravi’s phones and passport had been seized.
“This is an act of blatant and illegal harassment and intimidation against Ravi, who was merely doing his duty as a lawyer.”
The former Padang Serai member of parliament claimed these unlawful actions by the Singapore authorities were related to Ravi’s defence of the rights of Malaysian death row prisoners in Singapore.
He alleged that there was a pattern of intimidation and unlawful actions by Singapore against Ravi.
Surendran said this latest action against Ravi came ahead of the hearing of a crucial legal challenge filed by the latter in the Singapore Court of Appeal on behalf of Malaysian death row prisoner Gobi Avedian.
“Ravi had reopened drug mule Gobi’s case on grounds of a serious miscarriage of justice, and the matter is to be heard on March 27 by a five-member panel of judges.
“Until Ravi’s intervention, Gobi was facing imminent execution as all his appeals had been disposed of,” he said.
He added that with the move to impound Ravi’s passport, it is uncertain whether the lawyer would be allowed to argue Gobi’s case on March 27.
“The seizing of Ravi’s passport is aimed at making it hard for him to meet the Malaysian families of prisoners, as well as instructing Malaysian solicitors. It is an act of sabotage by Singapore’s government against the available legal avenues for Malaysian death row prisoners.
“The actions by the Singapore authorities against Ravi are in breach of Article 9 of the Singapore Constitution, which guarantees the right to a fair trial.”
Surendran called upon Singapore’s government to cease all unlawful threats, police actions and intimidation against Ravi.
“We urge Singapore to respect the Malaysian death row prisoners’ right to a fair hearing of their pending cases in the Singapore courts.
“We urge the Malaysian government to make the necessary representations to Singapore, to preserve and protect the rights of Malaysian prisoners.”