(Adds comment from Amnesty International)
By John Geddie
SINGAPORE, May 20 (Reuters) - A judge in Singapore has
sentenced a man to death via a Zoom video-call for his role in a
drug deal, one of just two known cases where a capital
punishment verdict has been delivered remotely.
Punithan Genasan, a 37-year-old Malaysian, was told on
Friday he would be hanged for masterminding a 2011 heroin
transaction, court documents showed, as the country was under
lockdown to try and curb its coronavirus outbreak.
"For the safety of all involved in the proceedings, the
hearing for Public Prosecutor v Punithan A/L Genasan was
conducted by video-conferencing," a spokesperson for Singapore's
Supreme Court said in response to Reuters' questions, citing
restrictions imposed to minimise virus spread.
It was the first criminal case where a death sentence was
pronounced by remote hearing in Singapore, the spokesperson
added.
Rights groups have criticised the use of video-calls for
capital punishment verdicts, including a case in Nigeria earlier
this month which criminal justice watchdog Fair Trials said was
the first death sentence to be delivered remotely.
Genasan's lawyer, Peter Fernando, said he did not object to
Friday's judgment being delivered on Zoom.
He said the judge could be heard clearly and as it was the
verdict no other legal arguments were presented. However, he
said, his client is considering an appeal against the verdict.
California-based tech firm Zoom did not respond to a request
for comment made via its representatives in Singapore. The
Attorney General's Chambers, the public prosecutor in the case,
did not immediately have comment.
Many court hearings in Singapore have been adjourned during
a lockdown period that started in early April and is due to run
until June 1, while cases deemed essential have been held
remotely.
Singapore has a zero-tolerance policy for illegal drugs and
has hanged hundreds of people - including dozens of foreigners -
for narcotics offences over past decades, rights groups say.
"Singapore's use of the death penalty is inherently cruel
and inhumane, and the use of remote technology like Zoom to
sentence a man to death makes it even more so," said Human
Rights Watch's deputy director for Asia, Phil Robertson.
Amnesty International's death penalty advisor Chiara
Sangiorgio said: "Whether via Zoom or in person, a death
sentence is always cruel and inhumane.
"This case is another reminder that Singapore continues to
defy international law and standards by imposing the death
penalty for drug trafficking."