Fwd: [ASEANcats] 27 May 2011 British author Alan Shadrake loses appeal against jail term
anityasarva 00
From: sinapan samydorai <sam...@pacific.net.sg>
Date: Fri, 27 May 2011 11:14:58 +0800
Subject: [ASEANcats] 27 May 2011 British author Alan Shadrake loses
appeal against jail term
To:
British author Alan Shadrake loses appeal against jail term
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_singapore/view/1131506/1/.html
Posted: 27 May 2011 1008 hrs
SINGAPORE: A 76-year-old British author on Friday lost his appeal against a
six-week jail term and fine for insulting Singapore's judiciary in a book
about criminal executions in the city-state.
Alan Shadrake, a freelance journalist and author of "Once A Jolly Hangman:
Singapore Justice in the Dock", was allowed to undergo a medical test
before starting his jail term on Wednesday.
- AFP/c
--------------------------------------------------------
U.K. Author Loses Singapore Appeal
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-27/u-k-author-loses-singapore-appeal.html
By Andrea Tan - May 27, 2011
British author Alan Shadrake, found guilty of contempt of court for a book
that criticized Singapore's justice system, had his six-week jail sentence
upheld by an appeals court.
It was the "worst" case of contempt to come before the Singapore courts,
Judge Andrew Phang said in delivering the ruling today.
Shadrake wrote the book, "Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore's Justice in the
Dock," which accused Singapore's courts of succumbing to political
influence and favoring the rich over the poor. The book contained
"half-truths and selective facts; sometimes even outright falsehoods,"
Singapore High Court Judge Quentin Loh said in his Nov. 3 verdict.
"I'm not sorry for myself or for writing the book at all," Shadrake, who
turns 77 on Aug. 14, said after today's hearing.
Loh had also fined the writer S$20,000 ($16,000) and ordered him to pay
S$55,000 in costs to the prosecution, who had sought a jail term of at
least 12 weeks.
Shadrake said he can't pay the fine and will serve an additional two weeks
in jail instead.
"If I'm a good boy, I'll be in remission and out in five weeks," he said.
Shadrake will begin serving the jail term June 1, the same day the second
edition of his book is scheduled to go on sale in the U.K.
The three judge appeal panel found two of the 11 statements originally
found to be contemptuous by Loh didn't scandalize the judiciary.
Shadrake, who was based in Malaysia, was arrested in his hotel room in
Singapore after the July release of the book.
The appeal court ruling "is a major setback for free expression in
Singapore," the group Human Rights Watch said in a statement today.
The case is Alan Shadrake v Attorney-General CA212/2010 in the Singapore
Court of Appeal.
To contact the reporter on this story: Andrea Tan in Singapore at
ata...@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Douglas Wong at
dwo...@bloomberg.net
-------------------------------------------------------
** Media Advisory ***
Singapore: Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Against Government Critic
(New York, May 27, 2011) - The Court of Appeal's decision to uphold the
author Alan Shadrake's contempt of court sentence for "scandalizing the
judiciary" is a major setback for free expression in Singapore, Human
Rights Watch said today. The charges should be dropped, Human Rights Watch
said.
On May 27, 2011, the appeals court upheld British national Shadrake's
original sentence of six weeks in prison and a S$20,000 (US$16,000) fine.
He had been charged for the allegation in his 2010 book, Once a Jolly
Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock, that mandatory death penalty
decisions were not always equitably applied in Singapore. He contended that
the justice system was subject to political and economic factors, including
pressure from the ruling People's Action Party. At Shadrake's appeal on
April 11, the prosecutor contended that he had "transgressed the limits of
free speech and fair criticism and maligned the entire judiciary."
"The prosecution of Alan Shadrake for doing nothing more than calling for
legal reform is a devastating blow to free speech in Singapore," said Phil
Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "More broadly, until
the government releases its iron grip on basic freedoms, the Singaporean
people will remain all the poorer."
For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Shadrake's arrest, detention,
trial, and appeal, please visit:
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/07/28/singapore-legal-charges-threat-freedom-expression
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/04/08/singapore-court-hear-appeal-critic-judiciary
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/11/08/singapore-drop-charges-against-author-who-raised-rights-concerns
For more information, please contact:
In Bangkok, Phil Robertson (English, Thai): +66-85-060-8406 (mobile); or
rob...@hrw.org
In London, Brad Adams (English): +44-7908-728-333 (mobile); or ada...@hrw.org
In Washington, DC, Sophie Richardson (English, Mandarin): +1-202-612-4341;
or +1-917-721-7473 (mobile); or ric...@hrw.org
In New York, Mickey Spiegel (English): +1-212-216-1229; or spi...@hrw.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sinapan Samydorai
Director of ASEAN Affairs for Think Centre (Singapore)
http://www.thinkcentre.org
Mobile: + 65 9479 1906
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