Young Man Facing Execution in Singapore

ASA 36/004/2009 (Html here, .rtf file here.)

Yong Vui Kong was sentenced to death for drug trafficking in January 2009. He had exhausted his appeals by October, and can now escape execution only if the president grants clemency.

Read more by clicking one of the links above.

Please send appeals immediately,

• Urging the president to grant clemency to Yong Vui Kong and commute his death sentence;
• Expressing concern that because the death penalty is mandatory for drug-trafficking cases, the court had no discretion to sentence Yong Vui Kong to an alternative punishment;
• Calling on the president to introduce a moratorium on executions, with a view to complete abolition of the death penalty.

Please send appeals immediately, and before December 15, to:

His Excellency SR Nathan
Office of the President
Istana, Orchard Road
Singapore 0922
Fax: +65 6735 3135 (My fax went through on the first attempt.) Email: s_r_nathan@istana.gov.sg
(Salutation: Your Excellency)

Please send copies to:

Editor-in-Chief
The Straits Times
1000 Toa Payoh North
News Centre,
Singapore 318994
Fax: +65 6319 8282 (My fax went through on the first attempt.) Email: stonline@sph.com.sg

Please also send a copy to the Singaporean foreign mission closest to you.

My letter below:

His Excellency SR Nathan
Office of the President
Istana, Orchard Road
Singapore 0922
Fax: +65 6735 3135

Ole Koksvik
Philosophy, RSSS
The Australian National University ACT 0200
AUSTRALIA 06/11/2009

RE: MR YONG VUI KONG

Your Excellency,

My name is Ole Koksvik. I am a Norwegian citizen, an Australian Permanent Resident, a PhD Candidate at the Australian National University.

It has come to my attention that Mr Yong Vui Kong, who was arrested in 2007 at the age of 19 and who was sentenced to death in January 2009, has now exhausted his appeals, save pardon by the President.

I am writing to urge you to grant clemency to Yong Vui Kong and to commute his death sentence.

I am deeply concerned that because the death penalty is mandatory for drug-trafficking cases, the court had no discretion to sentence Yong Vui Kong to an alternative punishment.

I call on you to introduce a moratorium on executions, with a view to complete abolition of the death penalty.

The death penalty is the ultimate cruel and inhuman punishment, and it is a gross violation of a person's right to life, as embodied in the UDHR.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns.


Your sincerely,

Ole Koksvik

Two men hanged; others in grave danger

Two urgent actions letters today:

The first relates to the hanging of two men, and the immediate risk of the execution of three further men, in Japan.

Further details: ASA 22/012/2009

Write, in the first instance, to MORI Eisuke, the Minister of Justice, fax: +81 3 5511 7200.

Send copies to:

• ASO Taro, Prime Minister, fax: +81 3 3581 3883, Email: (via website) http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment.html
• Newspaper Asahi Shimbun, fax: +81 3 3545 0285.
• The local Japanese diplomatic contacts. In Australia: His Excellency Mr Takaaki KOJIMA, Ambassador. Fax: (02) 6273 1848

I believe that sending a fax strikes the best balance between speed of delivery and delivering a product that will be taken somewhat seriously, and I think email comes second. However, if you prefer sending an ordinary letter, click here to obtain postal addresses.

My letter is below.

MORI Eisuke
Minister of Justice
1-1-1 Kasumigaseki
Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100-897
JAPAN
Fax: +81 3 5511 7200
E-mail: webmaster@moj.go.jp


Ole Koksvik
Philosophy, RSSS
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA Friday, 14 August 2009

Dear Minister,

My name is Ole Koksvik. I am a Norwegian citizen, an Australian Permanent Resident, a PhD Candidate at the Australian National University and a member of Amnesty International.

I write to express my concern at the your decision to proceed with the executions of Maeue Hiroshi and Yamaji Yukio.

I strongly urge you not to execute Shinozawa Kazuo, Zoda Hiroshi and Ogata Hidek. I also call on you to order an immediate moratorium on the death penalty, with a view to eventual abolition, and to commute the sentences of all those now on death row.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns.

Yours sincerely,

Ole Koksvik

Imminent Risk of Execution: Majeed Ibrahim Hamo and Saeed Khalil

This Urgent Action is about Majeed Ibrahim Hamo and Saeed Khalil who are at risk of imminent execution. One of them told his family that he was innocent, but confessed because he was tortured: he was burned with cigarettes all over his body and broke a shoulder.

Full information from Amnesty HERE.


The below is an email I sent today to President Mas'ud Barzani of the Kurdish Regional Government. The address AI gave didn't work for me, so I used instead the contact form on the Kurdish Regional Government's website. Using that form I sent copies to Prime Minister Nechirvan Idris Barzani and Minister for Human Rights Dr Yousif M. Aziz.

The Minister for Justice Farooq Jamil Sadiq can apparently be reached via email dad at mojkurdistan.com, and the Minister for the Interior Osman Hajy Mohamood via interior_minister_sul at yahoo.com. I sent them copies, too.

Salutations throughout: Your Excellency

To
President Mas'ud Barzani
Kurdish Regional Government

From
Ole Koksvik

Your Excellency,

My name is Ole Koksvik, I am a Norwegaian citizen, and a permanent resident of Australia. I am a PhD student at the Australian National University.

I am writing to expressing my grave concern that Majeed Ibrahim Hamo and Saeed Khalil are at risk of imminent execution. I am convinced that the death penalty is an atrocity, something that subverts and undermines our very humanity.

Moreover, I am deeply concerned because these death sentences were imposed in judicial proceedings that appear to be in violation of international fair trial standards. I urging you to commute the death sentences of both men, and I ask that you ensure that an investigation
is conducted into the allegations of torture and ill-treatment.

I understand that it is your right and duty to try those accused of violent crimes, but defendants must be given fair trials. This cannot be compromised.

I thank you kindly for reading this letter and taking the time to consider my concerns.

Sincerely,

Ole Koksvik