Amnesty International Report 2004 - Singapore

Covering events from January - December 2003

In September the government confirmed that 86 people had been executed since 2000. Freedom of expression continued to be curbed by restrictive legislation and by the threat of civil defamation suits against political opponents. Thirty-seven men were held without charge or trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA). Jehovah's Witnesses continued to be imprisoned for their conscientious objection to military service. Caning remained mandatory for certain criminal offences.

Background

The ruling People's Action Party (PAP), in power since 1959, continued to dominate the political scene, occupying 82 of 84 seats in parliament. Although the government showed tentative signs of allowing more freedom of expression, tight controls remained in place. In July the authorities announced that homosexuals would be allowed to hold certain government posts, although homosexual acts continued to be illegal. The same month, an opposition party held a youth conference on democracy and human rights. It was reportedly the first time the police had granted a permit for such a conference.

Death penalty

The death penalty remained mandatory for drug trafficking, murder, treason and certain firearms offences. In September the authorities made a rare statement on executions, announcing that 10 people had been executed so far during the year, and that 86 executions had taken place since 2000. The figures were revealed after the Prime Minister stated during a television interview that he believed that up to 80 people had been executed in 2003. When asked for the precise number he said he had "more important things to worry about".

Singapore has one of the highest execution rates in the world relative to its population of just over four million. More than 400 people are known to have been executed since 1991, the majority believed to have been convicted of drug trafficking offences.

• Vignes s/o Mourthi, a Malaysian national arrested in 2001, was hanged in September despite serious concerns that he had not received a fair trial and may have been innocent. His lawyer's applications for a retrial on account of a miscarriage of justice were rejected. Under Singapore law, anyone found in possession of specified quantities of drugs is automatically presumed to be trafficking in the drug unless the contrary can be proved. This presumption conflicts with the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Curbs on freedom of expression and assembly

Strict government controls on civil society organizations and the press curbed freedom of expression and were an obstacle to the independent monitoring of human rights. A range of restrictive laws remained in place, undermining the rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

The threat of potentially ruinous civil defamation suits against opponents of the PAP continued to inhibit political life and engendered a climate of self-censorship. While the government maintained its stance that PAP leaders had a legitimate right to defend their reputation, there were continuing concerns that its real motive was to silence selected opposition figures and remove them from public life.

Chee Soon Juan, leader of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, continued to face a defamation suit lodged against him by PAP leaders in 2001. In April he lost his appeal against a court order to pay damages to the Prime Minister and Senior Minister. The amount of damages had not been fixed by the end of the year.

Detention without trial

Thirty-seven men accused of plotting to carry out bomb attacks continued to be held without charge or trial under the ISA. The authorities claimed the men, who were arrested in 2001 and 2002, were members or supporters of an Islamist group, Jemaah Islamiyah. In January the government published a White Paper justifying the arrests. The authorities rejected criticism that the ISA violates the right to a fair and public trial and the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law.

Conscientious objectors

At least five conscientious objectors to military service were imprisoned, while 19 others continued to serve their sentences during 2003. All were members of the banned Jehovah's Witnesses religious group. There is no alternative civilian service in practice for conscientious objectors to military service in Singapore.

Violence against female migrant workers

Foreign domestic workers were reportedly subjected to violence by employers and employment agents. In July the Indonesian embassy in Singapore stated that 89 Indonesian domestic workers had died in Singapore in the previous four and a half years. The statistics were said to include accidental deaths and suicides.

Cruel judicial punishment

Caning, which constitutes torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, remained mandatory for some 30 crimes, including attempted murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking, illegal immigration offences and vandalism. A 17-year-old boy was reportedly sentenced in September to 24 strokes of the cane and a jail term for a series of sexual offences.

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

In October the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child urged the authorities to "prohibit the use of corporal punishment, including whipping and caning, and solitary confinement in all detention institutions for juvenile offenders, including police stations". The Committee also recommended that law enforcement officials and those working in places of detention receive training about the principles and provisions of the UN Children's Convention, and that human rights education be included in the school curriculum. The authorities were urged to amend legislation in order to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender or disability, and to combat discrimination through public education and awareness campaigns.