SEAPA Alert: Singapore court rejects British author’s appeal
1 June 2011
British author Alan Shadrake, who wrote a controversial book on the Singapore judiciary, has lost his appeal before the country’s Court of Appeal on 27 May 2011, media reports said.
He had been convicted for contempt of court and sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment by the High Court in November 2010.
The Malaysia-based author is also being investigated by the police for criminal defamation, according to BBC online.
The case stemmed from Shadrake’s book, “Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock” which alleged that the city state lacked impartiality in implementing the death penalty.
Shadrake was fined S$20,000 (US$16,178) and S$55,000 (US$44,491) in legal costs.
Channel News Asia quoted the 76-year-old author as saying: "I expected this verdict to be confirmed by the appeal court and I'm not at all surprised. I am very relieved it's all over. I will carry on the campaign."
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