Singapore communications: May 1, 2011 to February 28, 2017

index This page summarizes cases raised with Singapore by the Special Rapporteur between May 1, 2011, (when the Special Rapporteur took up his functions) and February 28, 2017 (the date of the last public release of communications). Communications are released to the public once per year. This page also contains observations on these communications and on responses received from Singapore.

Communications and observations are divided into sections based upon which observation report they originally appeared.

Each communication is referenced as urgent appeal (UA), allegation letter (AL), joint urgent appeal (JUA) and joint allegation letter (JAL) – the hyperlinks lead to these documents. This is followed by the date the communication was issued, as well as the case number and the State reply (also hyperlinked if available).

Summaries and communications are published only in the language of submission (in the case of Singapore, English).

First Report (May 1, 2011 to March 15, 2012)

None

Second Report (March 16, 2012 to February 28, 2013)

Joint urgent appeal, 10/12/2012. Case no. SGP 4/2012. State Reply: 15/02/2013. Alleged legal sanctions brought against migrant public bus drivers from China in relation to a strike they undertook to demand equal pay.

Observations
The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government of Singapore for its response.

The Special Rapporteur refers to Human Rights Council resolution 21/16, and in particular operative paragraph 1 that “[r]eminds States of their obligation to respect and fully protect the rights of all individuals to assemble peacefully and associate freely, online as well as offline, including in the context of elections, and including persons espousing minority or dissenting views or beliefs, human rights defenders, trade unionists and others, including migrants, seeking to exercise or to promote these rights, and to take all necessary measures to ensure that any restrictions on the free exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association are in accordance with their obligations under international human rights law”.

Third Report (March 1, 2013 to February 28, 2014)

None

Fourth Report (March 1, 2014 to February 28, 2015)

None

Fifth Report (March 1, 2015 to February 28, 2016)

Joint allegation letter, 30/10/2015. Case no. SGP 2/2015. State reply: 24/12/2015, 24/03/2016. Alleged charges against a human rights defender and blogger for exercising her right to freedom of peaceful assembly.

Observations

Response to communication
The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government of Singapore for its response to his communication.

The Special Rapporteur takes note of the information received in the two responses from the Government, including the information provided to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. He, however, remains concerned about the trial opened against Ms. Han Hui Hui and her fellow protestors on charges which appear to be solely based on their efforts to promote and protect human rights and on their legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of opinion and expression.

He wishes to refer to the joint report on the proper management of assemblies he prepared with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (A/HRC/31/66), which is highly relevant to the present case.