SINGAPORE: Activists in Singapore who have long called on the government to end the death penalty have praised a new government report that will give discretion to use capital punishment to the court, removing mandatory death sentences for a number of crimes. “We are all pleased,” began National University of Singapore student Thomas Fuek, who told Bikyamasr.com that he is “excited” by the changes. “It doesn't end the death penalty, unfortunately, but it is a step in the right direction, because it means a court will have to look someone in the eye and make the decision themselves to kill the person.” In a ministerial statement in the country's Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean told legislators that all executions that have come due since the review began in July 2011, have been deferred, pending new examinations. He explained, however, that the government review “reaffirmed the relevance” of the death penalty for all the offenses it is currently applied. Teo said: “The death penalty has been an important part of our criminal justice system for a very long time, similar to the position in a number of other countries. “Singaporeans understand that the death penalty has been an effective deterrent and an appropriate punishment for very serious offences, and largely support it. As part of our penal framework, it has contributed to keeping crime and the drug situation under control.” Even for non-violent crime, such as drug trafficking and drug crimes, the deputy PM argued that the review concluded that the “mandatory death penalty should continue to apply in most circumstances.” But now it will be up to the court to decide if the death penalty should be applied. Previously, it had been mandatory and the court had no say in the matter. The report gave a number of conditions, as reported by Channel News Asia: “firstly, the trafficker must have only played the role of courier, and must not have been involved in any other activity related to the supply or distribution of drugs; secondly, discretion will only apply if having satisfied the first requirement, either the trafficker has cooperated with the Central Narcotics Bureau in a substantive way, or he has a mental disability which substantially impairs his appreciation of the gravity of the act.” Either way, the optimism among activists who said they will continue to push for an end to capital punishment is not missed on the moment. “It is the beginning of the end of the death penalty. We want to be a leader on all aspects of economy and society, so the death penalty must go,” added Fuek.
