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We urge the Cabinet to reconsider his clemency in light of the fact that there was no unanimous decision even at the highest court of the land, and our learned judges were split in their opinion of whether the death penalty was appropriate in his case
Dear distinguished Ministers,
We are writing this letter of appeal for Kho Jabing, whose petition for clemency was rejected on 19 October 2015. We urge the Cabinet to reconsider his clemency in light of the fact that there was no unanimous decision even at the highest court of the land, and our learned judges were split in their opinion of whether the death penalty was appropriate in his case.
We also seek the compassion of the Cabinet for the family of Jabing, who have gone through much suffering since his original sentencing. His father passed away while Jabing’s case was ongoing, and Jabing’s sister Jumai believes that her father’s illness prior to his death was due to Jabing’s incarceration, which came as a great blow for him. His mother, who has been unable to work due to health reasons, has lost both her sources of financial support and has been living on the goodwill of her neighbours and minimal state welfare ever since then.
On top of her ill-health, the thought of losing Jabing, her only son, is too much for his mother to bear. We cannot imagine the effect his death will have on her wellbeing.
We understand the grievousness of his offence but hope that he will be given a second chance and a more meaningful way to atone for his crime.
We hope that our Ministers will be compassionate and consider all factors related, especially the impact of capital punishment on Jabing’s family, and exercise mercy by commuting his death sentence to that of life imprisonment.
Yours sincerely,
Singapore Working Group on the Death Penalty
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Background
Last update: 17 June 2015
Kho Jabing, 31, was convicted and sentenced to death under section 300 (c) of the Penal Code.
In the evening of 17 February 2008, Jabing, together with four of his friends, was at Geylang. According to Jabing’s statement, the intention was to go Geylang to commit a robbery, as their previous plan to rob two co-workers was aborted.
When they spotted their victims along Lorong 4, Jabing assaulted the deceased with what was described as either a piece of wood or a tree branch, which he had picked up while approaching the victim. Galing, his co-accused, also assaulted the victim with a metal belt buckle. The victim later succumbed to the severe and multiple injuries inflicted by the piece of wood.
The Court of Appeal affirmed Jabing’s conviction on 24th May 2011. The court held that it was beyond reasonable doubt that Jabing intended to inflict multiple head injuries on the deceased. Jabing was thus sentenced to suffer the mandatory death penalty, which was still in place during his sentence and conviction.
Jabing was afforded an opportunity to be re-sentenced because of the amendments to the death penalty regime in 2013. On 18 November 2013, Justice Tay Yong Kwang re-sentenced Jabing to life imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane. The prosecutor appealed the re-sentencing decision. On 14th January 2015, the Court of Appeal, by a majority decision (with two out of the five judges dissenting) overturned Justice Tay’s decision and sentenced Jabing to death.
The majority justified imposing the death sentence on the basis that Jabing “exhibited a blatant disregard for human life” due to the “sheer savagery and brutality exhibited by the Respondent (Jabing)” in inflicting the blows to the deceased.
The minority judges however, disagreed with the death sentence imposed by the majority. Justice Woo Bih Li and Justice Lee Seiu Kin reasoned that there was a “reasonable doubt (as to) whether Jabing’s blows were all inflicted when the deceased was laying on the ground” which made it “unsafe to conclude beyond reasonable doubt that he (Jabing) acted in away which exhibited a blatant disregard for human life”.
Jabing has exhausted all legal avenues. He is currently awaiting a reply from the President on his clemency petition, which was submitted in April this year.
Links:
- Written judgement from Jabing and Galing’s appeal in 2011
- Written judgement from Jabing’s appeal in 2013
- Written judgement from Court of Appeal decision in 2015
Source : swgdp.wordpress.com
Background : secondchances.asia
Target Institution
President of Singapore
His Excellency Tony Tan Keng Yam Office of the President of the Republic of Singapore
Orchard Road, Singapore 238823
Fax: (65) 67353135
Email: tony_tan@istana.gov.sg
Prime Minister of Singapore
Lee Hsien Loong Prime Minister’s Office
Istana Annexe, Orchard Road, Singapore 238823
Fax: (65) 63328983
Email: lee_hsien_loong@pmo.gov.sg
Minister of Law and Home Affairs
Mr. K Shanmugam
100 High Street, #08-02 The Treasury, Singapore 179434
Fax: (65) 6332 8842
Email: k_shanmugam@mlaw.gov.sg
Deputy Prime Minister & Coordinating Minister for National Security
teo_chee_hean@pmo.gov.sg
Deputy Prime Minister & Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies
tharman_s@pmo.gov.sg
Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure & Minister for Transport
khaw_boon_wan@mot.gov.sg
Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade)
lim_hng_kiang@mti.gov.sg
Minister for Manpower
lim_swee_say@mom.gov.sg
Minister for Communications and Information, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs & Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security
yaacob_ibrahim@mci.gov.sg
Minister for Defence
ng_eng_hen@mindef.gov.sg
Minister for Foreign Affairs
v.bala@mfa.gov.sg
Minister for Health
gan_kim_yong@moh.gov.sg
Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry)
s_iswaran@mti.gov.sg
Minister for Finance
heng_swee_keat@mof.gov.sg
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth
Leader of the House
grace_fu@mccy.gov.sg
Minister, Prime Minister’s Office
Government Whip
chan_chun_sing@pmo.gov.sg
Minister for Social and Family Development
tan_chuan-jin@msf.gov.sg
Minister for National Development
lawrence_wong@mnd.gov.sg
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources
Masagos_ZULKIFLI@mewr.gov.sg
Acting Minister for Education (Schools) & Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport
ng_chee_meng@moe.gov.sg
ng_chee_meng@mot.gov.sg
Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) & Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence
ong_ye_kung@moe.gov.sg
ong_ye_kung@mindef.gov.sg
Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office
heng_chee_how@pmo.gov.sg
Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Finance & Ministry of Law
indranee_rajah@mof.gov.sg
indranee_rajah@mlaw.gov.sg
Senior Minister of State, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources & Ministry of Health
amy_khor@mewr.gov.sg
amy_khor@moh.gov.sg
Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Transport
josephine_teo@pmo.gov.sg
josephine_teo@mot.gov.sg
Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence & Ministry of Foreign Affairs
maliki_osman@mindef.gov.sg
Maliki.osman@mfa.gov.sg
Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Finance
Deputy Government Whip
sim_ann@mof.gov.sg
Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of National Development Deputy
Leader of the House
desmond_lee@mha.gov.sg
desmondlee@mnd.gov.sg
Minister of State, Ministry of Manpower
slteo@mom.gov.sg
Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office & Ministry of Manpower
Deputy Government Whip
sam_tan@mom.gov.sg
Minister of State, Ministry of Health
lam_pin_min@moh.gov.sg
Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Health
chee_hong_tat@mci.gov.sg
chee_hong_tat@moh.gov.sg
Deputy Speaker
charles_chongyf@yahoo.com
Deputy Speaker
seahkp@fairprice.com.sg
Mayor, North West CDC
teo_ho_pin@pa.gov.sg
Mayor, Central Singapore CDC
dphua@pathlight.org.sg
Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Social and Family Development
muhammad_faishal_ibrahim@msf.gov.sg
Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Trade and Industry
Mayor, South West CDC
low_yen_ling@moe.gov.sg
low_yen_ling@mti.gov.sg
Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
baey_yam_keng@mccy.gov.sg
Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs
amrin_amin@mha.gov.sg
Emeritus Senior Minister
goh_chok_tong@pmo.gov.sg
MP LOW Thia Khiang
thiakhiang.low@wp.sg
MP Dr Lily NEO
dr.lilyneo1@gmail.com
MP Cedric FOO Chee Keng
cedric.foo@pap.org.sg
MP Christopher DE SOUZA
chrisdesouza@leenlee.com.sg
MP Assoc Prof FATIMAH Lateef
fatimah.abd.lateef@sgh.com.sg
MP LEE Yi Shyan
liang_eng_hwa@singnet.com.sg
MP LIM Biow Chuan
lbclaw01@gmail.com
MP ZAQY Mohamad
mp@keathong.sg
MP Er Dr LEE Bee Wah
mp4nss@gmail.com
MP Dr LIM Wee Kiak
limweekiak@gmail.com
MP Ms Jessica TAN Soon Neo
Jessica.Tan@pap.org.sg
MP Ms Sylvia LIM
sylvia.lim@wp.sg
MP Dr CHIA Shi-Lu
drchiashilu@gmail.com
MP ANG Hin Kee
anghk@ntuc.org.sg
MP ANG Wei Neng
weineng.ang@gmail.com
MP CHEN Show Mao
showmao.chen@wp.sg
MP Ms FOO Mee Har
meehar.foo811@gmail.com
MP GAN Thiam Poh
gan.thiam.poh@amktc.org.sg
MP Dr INTAN AZURA Binte Mokhtar
mpjalankayu@gmail.com
MP Dr JANIL Puthucheary
janil_puthucheary@prpg-grc.sg
MP MUHAMAD FAISAL Abdul Manap
faisal@wp.sg
MP David ONG Kim Huat
david.bbatok@gmail.com
MP ONG Teng Koon
ong.teng.koon@gmail.com
MP PRITAM Singh
pritam.singh@wp.sg
MP SITOH Yih Pin
sitoh@nexiats.com.sg
MP TAY Teck Guan Patrick
patricktaytg@gmail.com
MP Ms TIN Pei Ling
tinpeiling@gmail.com
MP Edwin TONG Chun Fai
edwintongchunfai@gmail.com
MP VIKRAM Nair
admiralty.sembawang@gmail.com
MP Alex YAM Ziming
ytmps@yewtee.org.sg
MP ZAINAL Bin Sapari
zainal_sapari@prpg-grc.sg
MP PNG Eng Huat
enghuat.png@wp.sg
MP Miss Cheryl CHAN Wei Ling
fengshan@pap.org.sg
MP Miss CHENG Li Hui
pap261@singnet.com.sg
MP CHONG Kee Hiong
ChongKeeHiong@outlook.com
MP Desmond CHOO
desmond.choo@live.com
darrylamk@gmail.com
MP Dr KOH Poh Koon
kpk.yck@gmail.com
MP KWEK Hian Chuan Henry
henryforkebunbaru@gmail.com
MP Louis NG Kok Kwang
LouisNg4NSE@gmail.com
MP Ms Joan PEREIRA
Joan.Pereira@pap.org.sg
MP Ms RAHAYU Mahzam
ms.rahayu.mahzam@gmail.com
MP SAKTIANDI Supaat
saktiandi1@gmail.com
TPEast@gmail.com
MP Ms SUN Xueling
sun_xueling@prpg-grc.sg
MP Dr TAN Wu Meng
Dr.Tan.W.M@gmail.com
MP YEE Chia Hsing
yee.chia.hsing@pap.org.sg
MP Melvin YONG Yik Chye
Melvin.Yong@pap.org.sg
NMP Ms LEE Li Lian
lilian.lee@wp.sg
NMP Leon PERERA
leon.perera@wp.sg
NMP Dennis TAN Lip Fong
dennis.tan@wp.sg
How to Support The Campaign
Dear all,
This is to inform you of the imminent execution of Kho Jabing, a Malaysian national from Sarawark.
It is currently scheduled for GMT/UTC 22:00, Thursday, 5 Nov 2015 (6:00am, Friday, 6 Nov, Singapore time)
You may also have received information on this case from our other partners here.
He has exhausted all normal appeals through the courts and his clemency application was rejected on the 19th of October.
This is a recent petition focusing the unique problem of Jabing’s case within the criminal justice system in Singapore.
We would like to request the members of your organisations and that your networks to consider writing an appeal to the members of the Cabinet and the Parliament whose addresses have been copied at the bottom.
Sincerely
Soe Min Than
Think Centre
Towards A Vibrant Civil Society
