Singapore carries out another death sentence and silences protesters

Today's news: In Israel, relatives of the 7 October victims in an alternative ceremony return to demand inchjiesta on the responsibilities of the Netanyahu government; Duterte runs again for mayor of Davao to back Sara against Marcos; Daughter's appeal for Ren Zhiqiang, the former Chinese real estate tycoon in jail for ‘corruption’ after criticising Xi Jinping; Catholics for peace persecuted in Belarus.

SINGAPORE

Just weeks before Pope Francis' visit, the Singapore government used a law against disinformation to force Transformative Justice Collective - a group opposed to the death penalty - to retract its criticism of a capital sentence carried out on 4 October against Mohammad Azwan bin Bohari, a man convicted of drug trafficking. Transformative Justice Collective challenged the fact that the execution took place despite the fact that Bohari along with 30 other death row inmates had filed a complaint on 19 September on the constitutionality of certain provisions introduced as part of the post-appeal application in capital cases.

ISRAEL

While in the official state ceremony Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised his government's response to the 7 October, relatives of the victims of the Hamas massacre in an alternative memorial event last night returned to point the finger at the Israeli government for its responsibility by renewing their call for a commission of enquiry, which was never accepted by the PM. Gathered in Tel Aviv for the national commemoration ceremony for bereaved families, they harshly criticised the government, demanding that its leaders take responsibility for abandoning southern Israel on the dark day of Hamas-led atrocities.

PHILIPPINES

Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has registered his candidature for mayor of the southern city of Davao in the mid-term elections scheduled for next year. Davao is the stronghold of Duterte's family: the former president's decision to run is seen as a move to galvanise support for his daughter Sara, who is expected to run for president in 2028, after her bitter and public split with the family of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, with whom she was elected vice-president in 2022.

CHINA

The daughter of Ren Zhiqiang, the former real estate tycoon who is serving an 18-year prison sentence for corruption after criticising Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, has written to Xi requesting that her father be released from prison on parole to receive treatment abroad, citing his deteriorating health due to untreated asthma and prostatitis. In September 2020, a people's court had found Ren guilty of ‘bribery, extortion, misappropriation of public funds and abuse of power’ as a senior manager of a state-owned enterprise, in a move that analysts said was aimed at eliminating any public challenge to Xi Jinping's authority.

SOUTH KOREA

Global streaming of K-pop music on Spotify, the world's largest music streaming platform, has increased dramatically over the past five years. According to data from the service, listeners of South Korean singers in 2023 increased by 362% in the global market and 182% in the US compared to 2018 figures. In Southeast Asia, where K-pop is particularly popular, streaming increased by as much as 423% over the same period.

BELARUS

New cases of persecution of Catholics are reported in Belarus, as reported by Khristianskaya Vizja in the Vitebsk region, where a parishioner in the city of Glubokoe was accused of ‘spreading extremist material’ for leaflets in which she wished for peace. A priest from Shumilino was outraged with false accusations while in prison for five months for posting a Ukrainian flag on social media.

AZERBAIGIAN

With just over a month to go before the start of the Cop29 in Baku, which is set for 11 November, several international human rights associations are expressing their misgivings about the choice of venue, due to the persecution in Azerbaijan of hundreds of political prisoners, including activists, journalists, and even ecologists.