KUALA LUMPUR – Bentong Prison death row prisoner Hoo Yew Wah has received 101,348 letters, emails, and signatures, all of which were shared at a recent vigil organised by Amnesty International Malaysia commemorating his birthday on December 5.
His application for clemency and a commutation of his death sentence garnered international support from more than 20 countries, including France, Indonesia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
This also comes on the heels of International Human Rights Day on December 10.
Among the many messages for Hoo was a heartfelt note.
“People make mistakes, we deserve second chances. The death penalty is a disproportionately harsh punishment for someone who was influenced and led astray due to his circumstances of being born into a disadvantaged community.”
A crowd consisting of representatives and supporters of Amnesty International Malaysia along with other civil society organisations gathered outside Bentong Prison, where Hoo has been on death row since 2011.
“We urge the Johor Pardons Board to give consideration to Hoo’s application for clemency.
“His conviction was based upon multiple human rights violations and his possible execution denies him the opportunity for redemption, which he has shown he is capable of,” said Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Katrina Jorene Maliamauv in a statement.
In 2005, then 20-year-old Hoo was arrested in Johor for possessing 188.35g of methamphetamine. He later alleged that when he was taken to a police station, police officers broke his finger, threatened to beat his girlfriend, and forced him to give a statement without his lawyer present.
Despite contesting the statement in court, noting inaccuracies and threats, his claims were dismissed by the judge without an order to investigate the allegations of torture, and he was found guilty of drug trafficking and given the mandatory death sentence.
In 2017, Amnesty International launched a global campaign to support his appeal for clemency and the commutation of his death sentence as a first step.
“His case was selected as part of the organisation’s campaign because it illustrates the many violations of international human rights law and standards associated with the use of the death penalty in Malaysia,” said Maliamauv.
Amnesty International Malaysia also highlighted the human rights concerns in Hoo’s case, including a lack of adequate and timely legal assistance, concerns of torture and ill treatment during police interrogations, and the presumption of guilt in cases of drug trafficking. – The Vibes, December 12, 2021
