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Amnesty International said on Thursday that it had written to President S.R. Nathan of Singapore.....
Amnesty International said on Thursday that it had written to President S.R. Nathan of Singapore, asking him to intervene to stop a Nigerian and a South African convicted of drug trafficking from being hanged.
The drug traffickers lost their final appeal against the death sentence in March, and only a presidential offer of clemency can save them from the gallows, the London-based human rights group‘s Hong Kong office said in a statement.
The statement identified the two as Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi, 19, a Nigerian, and Okele Nelson Malachy, 33, believed to be from South Africa.
Both were arrested on November 27, 2004 at Singapore‘s Changi airport while attempting to smuggle more than 700 grams (25 ounces) of heroin.
Under Singapore‘s tough anti-drug laws, the death penalty, which is carried out by hanging, is mandatory for anyone caught trafficking more than 15 grams of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine and 500 grams of cannabis.
The statement said Si-si Liu Pui-shan, Chairperson of Amnesty International in Hong Kong, had written to the Singapore president seeking clemency.
It reads, "Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases as a violation of one of the most fundamental of human rights, the right to life."
"It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and there is no escaping the risk of error, which can lead to the execution of an innocent person."
In its letter to Nathan, Amnesty said, "We are deeply concerned over the Singapore government‘s frequent recourse to the death penalty.
"As a matter of urgency, we fervently hope that President S.R. Nathan will grant clemency in this case and commute the sentences meted out to the two men."