Amnesty International Malaysia regrets the decision of the High Court in Singapore recently to convict Alan Shadrake for contempt of court. Mr Shadrake is due to be sentenced today and faces imprisonment, a fine, or both.

Mr Shadrake was arrested on July 18, 2010 in Singapore and has been charged with criminal defamation and contempt of court for writing about the death penalty in Singapore in his book ‘Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock'. The book is critical of the death penalty punishment applied in Singapore.

Mr Shadrake, 75 years old and suffering from medical ailments, was subjected to continuous interrogation during and after his release from detention.

This not only caused difficulty for his lawyers to take instructions and give advice for his case, but also raised questions about his health because of the stress faced.

Peaceful criticisms of the Singapore government's policies should not be treated as a crime.

The death penalty is an inhumane and degrading punishment as agreed by the United Nations General Assembly that had adopted a resolution in 2007, calling for a moratorium on the death penalty and executions, and to states that still maintain the punishment to establish a moratorium with a view to abolish the death penalty in the future.

The death penalty is either being abolished or being put under moratorium in many countries. Currently more than 90 countries in the world including Philippines, East Timor, Bosnia Herzegovina and Mongolia have abolished the death penalty.

Debates on the archaic punishment should be allowed, to increase awareness on its inhumane application and non-deterrent effect.

Singapore, as a member of the UN, should allow discussion and not feel threatened by writings on the death penalty, and respect freedom of expression as outlined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Freedom of expression should not be curtailed by intimidation of the laws of a state, particularly in relation to the death penalty, an issue that is discussed openly worldwide.

Amnesty International Malaysia maintains its support for Mr Shadrake and hopes he will remain strong in these trying times.

We call on the Singapore government to allow discussion on the death penalty to pave the way for a review of its laws that impose the death penalty and mandatory death penalty, and moratorium and abolition of the death penalty.

This is in line with the stand of the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, that the death penalty should under no circumstances be mandatory by law, regardless of the charges involved.

The writer is the executive director of Amnesty International Malaysia