Singapore — Lawyer Ravi MRavi took to Facebook on Wednesday (Nov 18) to criticise the Attorney General, writing, “It appears that the AG can’t take the heat on Iris Koh’s Covid Constitutional challenge and all other legal challenges filed.”
He posted photos of a Contempt of Court document from the Attorney General’s Chambers that he had received that day, perceiving it to be a threat and claiming that its intent is to intimidate him.
The document was issued in connection with the case of his client Malaysian convict Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, whose death sentence received international attention of late as Nagaenthran has been said to suffer from diminished mental capacity.
He was scheduled for judicial execution on Nov 10, but received a stay of execution when it was discovered the previous day that he was positive for Covid-19.
“As you are aware i am used to this intimidation by AGC for the last 18 years since I took up human rights lawyering,” wrote Mr Ravi in his post, adding that he “will demand that the AG withdraw” the threat “with an apology.”
Moreover, he said he will write to the Chief Justice, the Council of Law Society, Ethics Committee, the Public Law Committee, and “Mr Surendren and Miss Latheefa Koya, the latter of whom are Nagenthran’s families’ instructing solicitors in Malaysia.”
Mr Ravi then connected the document he received to another of his cases. He had announced on Nov 13 that he will be representing Iris Koh, the founder of “Healing the Divide” on a pro bono basis as she takes the Singapore government to court for violating her human rights, writing that he had been instructed by Ms Koh to “commence judicial review proceedings.”
The lawyer added that he’s also representing similar litigants to “restrain the state from further human rights violations via the Covid-19 inhumane, life-threatening, degrading and oppressive measures that violate our fundamental guarantees to the right to life and liberty under Article 9 and various other articles of the constitution (sic),” citing Article 9 of the Singapore Constitution regarding fundamental liberties.
In his Nov 18 post he wrote “It appears that the AG can’t take the heat on Iris Koh’s Covid Constitutional challenge and all other legal challenges filed.”
He appealed for the public to “stand with” him “as i have zealously fought for your rights without any expectation often at huge personal cost,” saying that he has “been bearing this cross for so long alone.”
He ended his post by writing that he will “file a complaint to UN on Independance (sic) of lawyers and take the Singapore government to task. Anyway i know i will win hands down if this goes to court. #AGThreatensMRavi #Intimidation” /TISG