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UPDATE (SINGAPORE): Mistreatment of imprisoned Singaporean opposition leader

November 1, 2002

UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM

1 November 2002
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UP-61-2002 (UA-49-2002: Oppositionist fined and imprisoned for defending his right to freedom of assembly in defiance of police warning not to hold the rally for workers' rights.)

UPDATE (SINGAPORE): Mistreatment of imprisoned Singaporean opposition leader
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The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updates regarding the imprisonment of Dr. Chee Soon Juan, Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and Chair of the 18-nation Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia (ARDA). Dr. Chee is being abused in a Singapore prison during his 5-week sentence (now at the end of its second week), where, this treatment is worse than his experience in Singapore jails during his prior two prison terms.

According to Ling How Dong, a lawyer and SDP colleague, Dr. Chee is incarcerated in a poorly ventilated 7' x 15' cell with two other prisoners. Having been assigned to a straw mat next to the toilet "bucket", he sleeps only two to three hours each night. Dr. Chee is afflicted with nausea and dizziness. Although he is taking prescription painkillers, he can only manage to eat fruits and drink tea, and he lost 10kgs of weight during his first ten day of incarceration. Mr. Ghandhi Ambalam, SDP colleague who was initially imprisoned with Mr. Chee and later released from prison after paying a fine, has drafted a letter of complaint to the International Red Cross about prison conditions in Singapore.

Though Dr. Chee's family members are permitted two brief prison visits per month, at the first visit, his wife was reportedly harassed by the authorities, who both threatened to withdraw her right to and repeatedly changed the date of the second visit. Mrs. Chee claims that these difficult conditions constitute an attempt by the authorities to apply physical and psychological pressure upon Dr. Chee, in order to deter him from continuing with his political activities.

Furthermore, sources state that the trial in which Dr. Chee and Mr. Ambalam were convicted did not meet fair trial standards, as the judge was purportedly biased during the proceedings and showed unnecessary deference towards the public prosecutor. This reflects charges made by legal activists who claim that the judiciary as a whole is corrupt and controlled by the government.


SUGGESTED ACTION

As the physical and psychological integrity of Dr. Chee Soon Juan, and any imprisoned individual must be protected, please send your appeals to the government of Singapore, urging them to;

- ensure Dr. Chee's physical and psychological integrity, release him immediately, and cease the harassment to which he and his family is being subjected,
- investigate both Singapore's prison system and that Singapore ensures impartial trial proceedings, and
- release Dr. Chee and abolish the Public Entertainment and Meeting Act, as all opposition groups and activists must be guaranteed the right to the freedom of expression in line with the Constitution of Singapore and international laws and standards.


SUGGESTED LETTER

Dear

I have been informed that political opposition leader, Dr. Chee Soon Juan is being mistreated, where his physical and psychological well being is violated, during his five-week incarceration.

Dr. Chee's family has been harassed, as the police threatened to take away the right to a second visitation. I ask that your government ensure Dr. Chee's physical and psychological integrity, investigate the present situation of Singaporean prisons and the police treatment towards the Chee family. An investigation that examines Mr. Chee's trial is also urgently needed, as concerns exist that the judge was purportedly biased and deferential towards the public prosecutors.

Furthermore, I urge that Mr. Chee be released and that the Public Entertainment and Meeting Act, which he is accused of violating, be abolished as the act itself is unconstitutional under Section 14 of Singapore's Constitution.

Thank you for your expedient attention to this matter.

Sincerely yours,

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PLEASE SEND YOUR APPEAL BY FAX OR EMAIL TO;

1. Hon. GOH Chok Tong
Prime Minister
Orchard Road,
Istana Annexe,
Singapore 238823
Fax: +65 67324627
Email: goh_chotong@pmo.gov.sg or pmo_hq@pmo.gov.sg

2. Professor S JAYAKUMAR
Minster of Law
100 High Street,
#08-02 The Treasury,
Singapore 179434
Fax: +65 63328842
Email: jayakumar_s@mfa.gov.sg or mlaw_enquiry@mlaw.gov.sg

Also send the copy of your appeal to;

Hon. Wong Kan Seng
Home Minister
New Phoenix Park,
28 Irrawaddy Road,
Singapore 329560
Fax: +65 62546250
Email: wongan_seng@mha.gov.sg or mhaeedback@mha.gov.sg

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Update
Document ID :
UP-61-2002
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Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.