Man Sentenced To Death Via Zoom Call In Singapore
A man has been sentenced to death via a Zoom video call in Singapore, as the country remains on lockdown due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Punithan Genasan, 37, received the sentence on Friday for his role in a drug deal that took place in 2011.
Human rights groups argued that pursuing the death penalty at a time when the world is dealing with a pandemic was “abhorrent”.
However, Genesan’s lawyer Fernando said he did not object to the use of video-conferencing for the call because it was only to receive the judge’s verdict with no further legal arguments to be heard.
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The vast majority of court hearings in Singapore have been adjourned until at least 1 June, when the city’s current lockdown period is due to end.
However; cases considered as essential are being held remotely.
Singapore has a zero-tolerance policy for illegal drugs. In 2013, 18 people were executed – the highest figure in at least two decades, according to Amnesty International.
Meanwhile, something similar happened in Lagos, Nigeria on May 6 as a judge issued a death penalty ruling also by using the zoom video chat app.
The judge; Mojisola Dada sentenced Olalekan Hameed to death by hanging for the murder of his employer’s mother.
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