U.N. effort to spare condemned man

The United Nations has joined the Australian government and human rights groups in a last-ditch effort to save an Australian man sentenced to death in Singapore for drug trafficking. On Monday, Canberra said it was considering taking Singapore to the International Court of Justice....

Appeal hearings are usually over in minutes, with judges routinely giving their verdict before disappearing into their chambers. Lawyers would then have
to refer to their written judgment to take further action.

Letters to relatives informing them of the execution date are extremely simple, and contain just a few paragraphs. Humans rights advocates call the penalty excessive.

"The adoption of such a black-and-white approach is entirely inappropriate where the life of the accused is at stake," said Philip Alston, the special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions for the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. "Once the sentence has been carried out it is irreversible," he said last week. Yet Singapore refuses to compromise on what it says in an internal matter.

"Those implementing the laws here seem to be in a rush to win the cases and close their files," said Sinapan Samydorai, a spokesman from local civic rights group Think Center. "The government here seems to be unnecessarily cruel without any mercy given to those who have made an honest mistake. Why not give the person a second chance?"

Full article.

To sign the petition for clemency.