Malaysia - Letter To Malaysian Authorities

[Encod]

Dear friends

On 20 March 2007, the Federal Court of Malaysia confirmed the death
sentence of Basil Omar (36), who was caught with 1 kilo of cannabis in
January 1990.


We ask everyone to copy the following letter to the relevant
authorities (which has been sent on behalf of ENCOD), sign and send it
as well by normal post or by-mail to the Malaysian embassy in your
neighbourhood.

For adresses of Malaysian embassies see
http://www.learn4good.com/travel/malaysia_embassies.htm

Please feel free to spread this message.

Thanks, best wishes,

Joep - ENCOD

To:

PRIME MINISTER Dato‘ Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister’s
Department, Block 1, Federal Government Administration Centre, 62502
Putrajaya, Selangor, MALAYSIA Telefax: (00 60) 3-8888 8344, (00 60)
3-8888 3530

POLICE CHIEF Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Omar, Ketua Polis Negara, Ibu pejabat
Polis Diraja Malaysia, Bukit Aman, 50502 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA Telefax:
(00 60) 3-2273 1326

CHAIR HUMAN RIGHT COMMISSION Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman, Suruhanjaya Hak
Asasi Manusia Malaysia, 29th Floor, Menara Tun Razak, Jalan Raja Laut,
50350 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA Telefax: (00 60) 3-2612 5620

Dear Prime Minister,

Dear Inspector General of Police,

Dear Chair of the national human rights commission SUHAKAM,

Dear Embassador,

Antwerpen, 16 april 2007

As a European coalition of NGO’s and individuals concerned with the
global drug issue, we would like to inform you herewith of our deepest
concerns about the upcoming execution of Mr. Basil Omar (36), whose
death sentence was confirmed recently.

Mr. Basil Omar was caught in possession of 1 kilo of cannabis on January
31, 1990. He was sentenced to death in September 1994. On 20 March 2007,
Mr. Omar’s appeal to the Malaysian Federal Court to have the death
sentences by hanging reversed, failed.

The use of the death penalty as such runs counter to the universal
protection of human rights and is at odds with the international trend
away from the use of this measure. Very few countries currently carry
out executions: provisional figures compiled by Amnesty International
indicate that only 20 of the United Nation’s 193 member states carried
out state killings in 2006. In countries such as South Korea and Taiwan,
authorities are considering to abolish this measure. We hope that this
will soon be the case in Malaysia as well.

However, in this particular case, we believe there is no valid argument
whatsoever to carry out this punishment, and urge you to do whatever is
possible to reverse the sentence.

Cannabis is a natural product, a non-lethal substance. Its consumption
is widespread around the world, as it has been for thousands of years
among many different cultures and people. In most European countries,
cannabis possession for personal consumption is not even penalised
anymore. In the coming years, we expect major law changes that will
allow for the cultivation and distribution of cannabis to adults in
several European countries.

In spite of executions of drug traffickers in Malaysia, the country is
not and will never be drug-free. Many people in Malaysia want to consume
cannabis and other drugs, so it is obvious that other people will supply
them. Taking the life of Mr. Omar will not change that situation.

Drugs trafficking is the core business of globally organised criminal
organisations. Mr. Omar or others who are occasionally caught by
authorities with relatively small amounts do not have major
responsibilities in this business. Killing them will not scare the drugs
gangs away. On the contrary, it is possible that thanks to these
punishments, the drugs barons can continue to justify extraordinary high
prices for their goods.

ENCOD strongly believes that the drugs problem can only be reduced by
effective social and health policies, not by legal sanctions. Innovative
strategies for addressing the issue both globally and locally are
needed, and the harsh implementation of drug prohibition is a major
impediment to thee introduction of these strategies. The reinforcement
of policies that have failed until now will increase the lack of
credibility of authorities in the opinion of the general public.

We call upon your wisdom to apply principles of sound governance and
reverse the death sentence for Mr. Basil Omar. We also offer you our
co-operation in order to convince European governments to support
Malaysia in the creation of structures which would allow for the
reduction of harm that the production, trade and consumption of illicit
drugs can cause.

Sincerely yours,

On behalf of ENCOD,

Christine Kluge, Germany
Marina Impallomeni, Italy
Virginia Montañes, Spain
Farid Ghehioueche, France
Jan van der Tas, Netherlands
Joep Oomen, Belgium

(Steering Committee)



*EUROPEAN COUNCIL FOR JUST AND EFFECTIVE DRUG POLICIES*

*Lange Lozanastraat 14 – 2018 Antwerpen - Belgium*

*Tel. + 32 (0)3 237 7436 – Mob. + 32 (0)495 122644*


E-mail: info@encod.org / www.encod.org

[ojos_de_brujo]

Hey people, it's just a tiny effort to send this to the embassy (and spread it to everyone in SWIY's contact list).

Swim's done it. Now SWIY'all.