Activist investigated for illegal assembly after vigil for hanged Malaysian

PETALING JAYA: An activist is being investigated by Singapore police over her participation in a candlelight vigil outside Changi Prison for Malaysian S. Prabagaran, who was hanged almost two months ago.

Anti-death penalty activist Kirsten Han, who attended the vigil on July 13, said that two police officers showed up at her house on Sunday and handed her a letter saying that they are investigating an offence of "taking part in a public assembly without a permit".

She said that the letter also summoned her and "some of the participants" to present themselves for questioning.

Han said that the July 13 vigil for Prabagaran was to show support for the family, who were present at the vigil, after they realised that Prabagaran's execution would go ahead.

"There weren't that many people and there was no disturbance," Han told The Star Online.

"We lit candles and put up his photo, but when the police came and told us to take it down we complied," she said.

According to Han, the police showed up at the vigil 15 minutes after the candles were lit.

Police confiscated the candles and photos, and filmed the people present at the vigil.

"We were then told that we would be allowed to stay as long as we didn't light any more candles, which we didn't," said Han.

Han said that she is aware of the "very restrictive laws" on public assembly in Singapore.

"I'm not completely surprised that a peaceful candlelight vigil is now being seen as an illegal assembly," she said.

However, Han said that the timing of the investigation is "a little odd" considering that the vigil was held almost two months ago.

Han said that she would meet Singapore police on Thursday at 2pm for questioning.

Singapore NGO Function 8 condemned the "police harassment" of anti-death penalty activists who held the vigil.

"Article 14 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore guarantees the right of citizens to freedom of speech, expression and assembly," said Function 8 in a statement on Monday.

"The act of issuing and having the police personally delivering letters which require the said activists to appear at police stations to assist in investigations, almost two months after the event, goes against the spirit of our Constitution and is a waste of police resources," it said.

Function 8 urged the Singapore home affairs minister to rescind the action of the police and cease the investigation.

Prabagaran was sentenced to hang for trying to smuggle a form of pure heroin into Singapore in April 2012.

The Malaysian, who was working in a petrol station, was arrested at the Woodlands checkpoint in April 2012 for possession of 22.24g of heroin, which was found in a black bundle in the centre arm-rest console of the car he was driving.

Prabagaran maintained his innocence, claiming that he borrowed the car from a friend to enter Singapore that day and was not aware of the drugs in the car.