Singapore — Lawyer M Ravi sought help from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Monday (Dec 14) regarding the case of a Singaporean convicted of drug trafficking and facing imminent execution by shooting in China.
In an update on Facebook, Mr Ravi wrote that his team from Carson Law Chambers has made frantic efforts in China to get a Chinese lawyer to represent the Singaporean, 35-year-old Azlinda.
“We have just served our legal notice on Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their immediate participation and cooperation,” he added.
In his letter to the MFA, Mr Ravi said Azlinda had been sentenced to death for drug trafficking and was currently appealing that her sentence be reviewed by the Guangdong High Court.
Along with details of Azlinda’s trial in Shenzhen, Mr Ravi asked the MFA what it had “done for the matter and what it intends to do forthcoming?”
He also asked: “What was the official purpose of giving $100 per month to our client for the past 6 years?”
Additionally, he asked the MFA why the verdict for Azlinda’s case was only given after six years.
In a Facebook post on Dec 11, Mr Ravi explained that he was acting as per the instructions of Ms Siti Ratnah, the eldest sister of Azlinda.
His post claimed that Azlinda “was sentenced to death for drug trafficking though she was not carrying any drugs with her. It was her boyfriend who had drugs on him when they both landed in Shenzhen, China”.
Ms Siti Ratnah claimed that the MFA had not seen Azlinda for about a year and that no lawyers had been engaged to defend her during the last 5 years.
“Ratnah says she was told that she cannot have access to her sister at the Chinese prison. I understand that she has barely 2 more weeks before she is executed,” Mr Ravi wrote.
He added that the Singapore Anti Death Penalty Campaign (SADPC) will start its campaign activities locally and internationally for Azlinda. /TISG