By Massita Ahmad
SINGAPORE, Aug 14 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Two Malaysian inmates on death row failed in their appeals for a stay of execution pending a probe on allegations that “brutal and unlawful methods” used in judicial executions in the republic.
“We dismiss the appeals,” according to judges of Singapore’s Apex Court, Andrew Phang, Judith Prakash, and Woo Bih Li in their written judgment released in the Supreme Court’s website.
A. Gobi and K. Datchinamurthy were convicted for drug-related offences and sentenced to the death penalty.
In their affidavit, amongst, the press statement by Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) dated Jan 16, which claimed it had discovered that sort of methods were used in judicial executions in Singapore, was exhibited.
The duo’s applications were made on Jan 28 and dismissed by the High Court on Feb 13.
The appellants who were represented by M. Ravi, an advocate and solicitor with Carson Law Chambers, then appealed.
In maintaining the High Court decision, the Court of Appeal, among others, said that the LFL press statement did not provide a sufficient basis to grant leave to commence a judicial review.
“Media statements on their own are not reliable evidence and the LFL press statement, in particular, did not identify the source of the information or its relevance to the present-day conduct of judicial executions,” it stated.