An Australian, Van Tuong Nguyen, will be executed for drug trafficking unless more attention is drawn to his plight. I believe that together we may save the life of this man.
To this end, I have written an open letter to the President of the Republic of Singapore asking for clemency. The open letter, which includes a dozen related e-mail addresses, is online:
<a href="http://www.joot.com/dave/writings/articles/capital-punishment.html">Letter to Singapore's President</a>
It is my hope that the interactivity of the Web can save a young man's life. Please read the above site and if you agree that a human should not die for being caught with drugs, then I beg you to send an e-mail asking the President of Singapore for clemency on behalf of Van.
Now before you summarily judge this as, "Man trafficked drugs and under law should be executed," consider that the world is not black and white. I ask that you read on.
Is death the only solution?
I agree that this man should not see the light of day for a long, long time. But ever? He has had two years to think about his impending demise. He has shown nothing but remorse during his trials.
The death penalty itself should be reserved for murderers and rapists. The argument that he should die because Australians would have died from heroin usage is a bit of a fallacy. Just like he is to die from the poor choice he made, so to would the Australians that decide, of their own free will, to get hooked on heroin. Where's the difference? Both make choices. Both die.
Nobody has ever forced me to take heroin. If someone is in a situation where they are forced to take the drug, then, generally speaking, they made a mistake a long time ago. Whether it was leaving home to walk the streets (instead of getting help elsewhere; friends, family, etc.), or doing drugs to impress their friends.
The point is that there are far more HUMANE ways of punishing a first time criminal than execution. He could be made to work in anti-heroin campaigns; he could be made to help manufacture replacement needles (to prevent the spread of AIDS); he could be forced to work in any number of related industries in effort to combat the use of heroin.
Moreover, he could be forced to identify the real bastards of the operation -- the drug dealers themselves.
A few more thoughts on this.
There are other men and women who have received death sentences. Most often they are being punished for rape, murder, or both. I have taken the time to read his case and decided that his life is worth sparing. He made a mistake and got caught.
To me, the getting "caught" part is most important. The drugs never made it to Australia. No harm was done to anyone. Not you, not me, certainly not Van (yet). This was his first offence, so it's not like he was a regular drug trafficker. He was just a misguided young man looking to get his twin brother out of debt before the year ended. The result is that he is being murdered for attempted drug trafficking.
Two minutes to write a note to someone asking to spare the life of a man who does not deserve the death penalty ... a meagre two clicks and a few words to save a life ... that's all I'm asking.
I find it more than a little bit ironic that people who were so noble, so powerful, and so united on the side of justice during the Great Wars can turn so cold, so calloused seemingly overnight. As a Canadian, I appeal to all of you who have an innate sense of justice, all of you who have a shred of compassion, to send a note asking to save Van's life. As a fellow human, I ask that you share some humanity for a boy that has made a regrettable mistake directed by his heart.
Dave
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