Death penalty book author Alan Shadrake defiant in Singapore

Alan Shadrake

SINGAPORE — A British author facing a possible jail term over his book criticising Singapore's use of the death penalty was defiant following his first court hearing Friday.

Alan Shadrake appeared in a packed courtroom to hear contempt of court charges levelled against him by the Attorney General following the local launch of his book "Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock".

A High Court judge granted an adjournment, giving Shadrake's lawyer two weeks to further prepare for the case and another week for prosecutors to respond.

With his passport impounded to prevent him from leaving the country, the 75-year-old freelance journalist remained defiant despite facing possible imprisonment.

"Whatever they do to me, it will prove whatever I say in my book," he told reporters outside the court after the hearing.

"I'm not a wimp, I'm not a coward," Shadrake added. "I want to have my day in court... I'm not running away. If I run away, it means I'm guilty."

Retired Singapore executioner
Darshan Singh

Shadrake's book features candid conversations with a retired hangman, Darshan Singh, who the author says executed some 1,000 local and foreign criminals in a career spanning nearly half a century.

Based in Malaysia and Britain, Shadrake is out on bail for the contempt charges, and is undergoing a separate investigation for criminal defamation.

Defamation carries a sentence of two years' imprisonment or a fine or both, while contempt of court is "punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine, with no limits on either," said a statement from the Attorney General's Chambers.

Amnesty International and other human rights groups have urged Singapore to abolish the death penalty.

Amnesty said that with a population of nearly five million, Singapore has one of the highest per capita execution rates in the world. It executed 420 people between 1991 and 2004.

However, Singapore officials maintain that capital punishment has deterred drug dealers from operating in the country and spared the lives of thousands of young people from drugs.

The death penalty is mandatory for anyone caught trafficking more than 15 grams of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine or 500 grams of cannabis.

Shadrake said his arrest had been counterproductive for the Singapore authorities.

"They've blown me up into a worldwide celebrity," he said, adding that his book was "selling like hot cakes" in neighbouring Malaysia.

Related story: "Nguyen Executioner Revealed", Alan Shadrake, The Australian, 0ctober 28, 2005. Excerpt:

"On the day of Nguyen's execution, Mr Singh will be picked up by a government vehicle and driven to the prison, arriving at 2am local time (0400 AEST) to prepare the gallows. Shortly before 6am, he will handcuff Nguyen's hands behind his back and lead him on his final short walk to the gallows, just a few metres from the cell. Mr Singh joined the British colonial prison service in the mid-1950s after arriving from Malaysia. When the long-established British hangman Mr Seymour retired, Singh, then 27, volunteered for the job. He was attracted by the bonus payment for executions. Mr Singh is credited with being the only executioner in the world to single-handedly hang 18 men in one day -- three at a time. They had been convicted of murdering four prison officers during a riot on the penal island of Pulau Senang in 1963. He also hanged seven condemned men within 90 minutes a few years later. They had been convicted in what became known as the "gold bars murders", in which a merchant and two employees were killed during a robbery. He carries out the executions wearing simple casual clothes, often just a T-shirt, shorts, sports shoes and knee-length socks."

Source: Agence France-Presse, July 30, 2010

UK author Shadrake's Singapore contempt trial adjourned

The trial in Singapore of a British author charged with contempt has opened and adjourned.

Alan Shadrake is accused of contempt of court by the Singapore Attorney General over a book he wrote which criticises the application of the death penalty.

If found guilty, Mr Shadrake could be given up to two years in prison.

The case has highlighted not just the use of capital punishment, but the broader issue of freedom of speech in Singapore where dissent is rare.

The title of the book leaves little room for doubt as to the tone of the content: "Once A Jolly Hangman - Singapore Justice in the Dock".

No regrets

Singapore

It is a critique of the way the death penalty is applied, alleging double standards and a lack of impartiality.

The Attorney General argues passages of the book scandalise the Singapore judiciary and undermine the authority of the courts, and that is why they have brought the contempt charges against the 75-year old author.

But human rights groups say the Singaporean authorities too often resort to the courts to silence their critics.

Mr Shadrake is also under investigation for criminal defamation.

Speaking outside the court, he told the BBC he would never apologise.

"I will not grovel to them," he said. "I will carry on this fight."

Recommended reading: "Singapore: Disneyland with the Death Penalty", by William Gibson, WIRED, Sept/Oct. '93

Source: BBC News, July 30, 2010

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