Activists call on Singapore government to condemn extrajudicial killings during Duterte's visit

On the occasion of President Rodrigo Duterte's visit to Singapore, we, the undersigned, would like to express our serious concern over the ongoing violent drug war in the Philippines. Since the beginning of July 2016 to earlier this month, the number of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines is reported to have exceeded 5,800. Individuals suspected of having been involved with drugs have been killed by the military and the police, and news of vigilante killings have become commonplace. In a story recently published by The New York Times, photojournalist Daniel Berehulak documented 57 murder victims in just 35 days. During his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on the death penalty, Singapore's Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan stated that “all human life is sacred”, and emphasised the importance of “an unwavering commitment to the rule of law”. “There must be fair and transparent laws and due process,” he said – a situation that is currently sadly lacking in the Philippines when it comes to drug crime. In October 2016, the Singapore delegation to the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee stated: “Singapore strongly condemns extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, which constitutes gross violations of human rights.” While we might disagree on Singapore's stance on capital punishment, we agree with the Singapore government that extrajudicial killings cannot be condoned. We hope the Singapore government will stand by their condemnation of extrajudicial killings, and raise this important issue with President Duterte during his visit. We also note that leaders in the Philippines’ House of Representatives are seeking to pass a bill that would reintroduce the death penalty before Congress adjourns for the holidays. We are alarmed at the haste with which this bill is being pushed through. The Philippines is a State Party to the 2nd Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which requires a commitment to not carry out executions within its jurisdiction. We stand in solidarity with and offer our support to human rights defenders in the Philippines who are urging the House of Representatives to stop attempts to reintroduce capital punishment.

Signed: Alvin Tan Cheong Keong Annette del Rosario Aura Antonio Braema Mathi Chew Kheng Chuan Chng Suan Tze Chong Ning Qian Community Action Network Humanist Society* Indulekshmi Rajeswari Jason Soo Jolene Tan Joshua Chiang Sheue Liang Loretta Marie Perera Margaret Thomas MARUAH Nabilah Husna Noelle Q. de Jesus Noor Effendy Ibrahim Ranjana Raghunathan Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign Tan Tee Seng Teo Soh Lung Terry Xu The Local Rebel Think Centre Thum Ping Tjin Vanessa Ho Vivienne Wee Wake Up Singapore We Believe in Second Chances Zubaida Binte Mohamed Ali

*HumanistSG is still deliberating on the issues surrounding penal code related capital punishment, but is generally against the deliberate actions to end lives.