A Malaysian rights group that claimed it had evidence that prisoners in Singapore were executed by "brutal" methods had their legal proceedings against Singapore's Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam struck out by the Malaysian High Court.
A media release from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Oct. 1 said that Lawyers for Liberty's (LFL) decision not to continue legal action showed that their allegations were baseless.
Remind me again
LFL is a rights group based in Malaysia.
In January 2020, it alleged that officers of the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) are instructed to kick the back of the neck of a prisoner sentenced to death by hanging, if the rope happens to break.
This was supposedly done so that the injury will be consistent with a death by hanging.
LFL alleged that the Singapore government approved of this "unlawful method" if the rope breaks during a hanging.
In reply, MHA said the allegations were "completely unfounded" and that all judicial executions are carried out in strict compliance with the law.
It added that the rope used for judicial executions has never broken before, and prison officers do not receive any special training to carry out the brutal execution method, as alleged.
POFMA was used
POFMA correction directions were then issued to LFL and three other parties.
They were:
- Yahoo Singapore, which published a Facebook post that shared an article containing LFL's allegations.
- The Online Citizen, which published an article with the allegations.
- Activist Kirsten Han, who shared a Facebook post containing LFL's allegations.
LFL went to court
LFL refused to comply with the correction direction, and announced on Jan. 24 that it had commenced proceedings in Malaysia's High Court against Shanmugam.
They said:
"It is outrageous and unacceptable for Singapore to issue a notice under their POFMA to a Malaysian organisation such as LFL, which is operating and issuing statements on Malaysian soil. Singapore has no business interfering with the freedom of speech of Malaysian citizens making statements within our own country.
This is nothing short of an attempt to silence us and prevent the truth about the manner of executions from coming out. Singapore should learn to accept criticism. They have no monopoly over what constitutes facts and the truth.
This attempt by Singapore to extend their jurisdiction to Malaysian citizens across the causeway is provocative, illegal and in breach of international law."
LFL sought a declaration, among other things, that the correction direction was null and void, and that POFMA was unenforceable against them.
But their court papers expired
But MHA noted that LFL never served court papers on Shanmugam, which expired.
LFL also did not renew the papers, for reasons unknown. MHA added:
"LFL’s conduct in commencing its legal action, publicising the same, and then failing to prosecute the matter, leading to its striking out by the High Court of Malaysia, is consistent with how LFL has conducted itself so far. LFL made sensational allegations against the Singapore Prison Service, and the treatment of prisoners, and promised to put forward evidence.
But nothing was put forward to substantiate its wild and completely untrue allegations. LFL’s legal action was baseless, and that is shown by the fact it has now decided not to continue the legal action."
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Top image from Lawyers for Liberty's Facebook page and Tamara Gore via Unsplash.
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