Civil rights activists hope for clear Pope’s words on the death penalty

Human rights activists in Singapore are hoping that Pope Francis will speak out against the death penalty. “I very much hope that he will address the issue of the death penalty during his stay in Singapore – a country that proudly defends the death penalty at home and abroad and creates conditions that make it difficult for critics to express their opinions,” said civil rights activist Kirsten Han of the Catholic News Agency (KNA) on Wednesday. Han is a member of the Singaporean section of Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), an international network for the abolition of the death penalty.

Pope Francis is a staunch opponent of the death penalty. In 2018, he had the Catholic Church’s explicit rejection of the death penalty included in the catechism.

Restricted rights of prisoners

There are no signs that the new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will abolish the death penalty, said Han. “K. Shanmugam, the most vocal supporter of the death penalty in Singapore, continues to hold a very powerful position as Minister of Home Affairs and Justice.” At the end of June, Home Affairs Minister Shanmugam signed the “Post-appeal Applications in Capital Cases” Act into law, which severely restricts the rights of prisoners to appeal against their death sentences.

“The right to a fair trial and due process for capital crimes continues to be undermined in Singapore,” criticized the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch.

Human rights activists criticize “climate of fear”

Amnesty International and six other civil rights organizations issued a joint statement last month condemning “the frightening climate of fear and repression that the authorities have created around anti-death penalty activism in Singapore.”

David Martin Datchinamurthy, who was sentenced to death for drug offences, appealed to the Pope in a letter: “I humbly ask Your Holiness to intercede for me. I ask for your prayers and any help you can offer me to save my life so that I can continue to serve God and help others.” He found God during the 13 years in prison, said Datchinamurthy in the letter, which was written in July and published on the TJC Singapore website on Tuesday.

“I believe that my life, if spared, can be a powerful testimony to the mercy and love that Jesus teaches us. I want to use my experiences and my journey of faith to lead others away from the mistakes I made and toward a life of purpose and service,” writes Datchinamurthy.