Malaysiakini :: Letters
Malaysiakini :: Letters |
| Police mustn't dally on domestic violence deaths Posted: 31 May 2011 02:37 AM PDT Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) wishes to extend its sincere condolences to the family of Pakiam Subramaniam, who died in Kedah in February this year, five months after her wedding. It is tragic when a young person passes away and it is especially traumatic for Pakiam's family as Pakiam's father M Subramaniam believes that his daughter was the victim of domestic violence after seeing the severe injuries that she had allegedly sustained. M Subramaniam has also said that the police have failed to investigate the case, which led him to seek help from Malaysia's national human rights commission, Suhakam. A thorough investigation into the death of Pakiam must be carried out by the police and Pakiam's family must be kept informed of the progress of the investigation. Section 120 of the Criminal Procedure Code states that police investigations must be "completed without unnecessary delay". Pakiam's family deserves to know the truth about her death and if it is the case that Pakiam was the victim of domestic violence, then the perpetrator/s must be brought to justice for the crimes committed. WAO has been working with women who have experienced domestic violence for almost three decades. We have encountered numerous cases of women who have suffered domestic abuse in silence and have died in the home at the hands of abusive partners or family members. When women die in suspicious circumstances in the home, domestic violence must always be considered as a possibility and investigations and autopsies must be carried out. The family of Pakiam Subramaniam has endured enough with the loss of their daughter. The hospital, police and all other authorities involved must treat the family with respect, care, compassion and openness during what must be the most distressing time of their lives. Sarah Thwaites is programme officer of Women's Aid Organisation. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Jailing Shadrake: S'pore gov't will never learn Posted: 31 May 2011 02:16 AM PDT Think Centre (TC) and Singapore Anti Death Penalty Campaign (SADPC) are deeply disappointed with the Singapore Court of Appeal's decision to uphold Alan Shadrake's original sentence of six-week jail term and S$20,000.00 fine topped up with an additional S$55,000 in costs to the Attorney-General's Chambers. The case garnered much attention internationally since Shadrake's first arrest in July 2010 and had demonstrated Singapore's judicial system's predilection to be thick-skinned to criticisms and calls for reform. This unfortunate decision to prosecute Alan Shadrake only serves to further add an indelible stain on Singapore's long blemished human rights record especially in the realm of freedom of expression. "As an investigative journalist, Alan has every right to publish his findings on the implementation of the death penalty in Singapore. Instead of persecuting him in this manner, the government could have banned the book. "This heavy fine and jail sentence sends a clear message that the government do not respect independently minded journalists who points out flaws and shortcomings in the Singapore system" said Rachel Zeng, spokesperson for Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign. Mr Sinapan Samydorai, spokesperson for Think Centre said, "The sentence is unduly harsh and lacks compassion . Singapore's authorities, much as they disagree with the publication of his book, should treat Alan gently considering he is vulnerable in health. "Alan will start serving a total of eight weeks in jail on Wednesday June 1, as he will also serve the default two-week jail for not paying the fine of S$20,000 in addition to the six weeks jail term for contempt of court. Alan Shadrake should be release in five weeks after remission for good behaviour." The verdict takes place two weeks after two major milestones in Singapore's history: a landmark national parliamentary election that reflected the electorate's call for change and Singapore's first review of her human rights record at the United Nation's Universal Periodic Review (UPR). We note with dismay that in the UPR session, Singapore government representatives has preemptively rejected recommendations to improve on key areas of human rights which include the repealing of criminal defamation legislations to ensure full enjoyment of freedom of expression. Such a stance reflected in today's verdict shows that Singapore has a long journey ahead to transform the island state as a place that fully promotes, respects and protects human rights. The statement was jointly issued by NGOs Think Centre (TC) and Singapore Anti Death Penalty Campaign (SADPC). Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysiakini :: Letters To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan