Singapore court sentences drug suspect to death on Zoom videoconferencing app

[dalton99a]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/singapore-court-sentences-drug-suspect-death-zoom-videoconferencing-app-n1211126

Singapore court sentences drug suspect to death on Zoom videoconferencing app
Punithan Genasan's case was the first "where a death sentence was pronounced by remote hearing in Singapore," a Supreme Court spokesperson said.
May 20, 2020, 8:32 AM CDT
By Associated Press

Singapore has sentenced a drug suspect to death on the popular videoconferencing app Zoom because of the city-state's coronavirus lockdown, in a move slammed by a human rights group as callous and inhumane.

Defense lawyer Peter Fernando said the Supreme Court announced the penalty to his client, Punithan Genasan from Malaysia, in a virtual hearing Friday. Genasan was in jail, while Fernando and prosecutors participated in the hearing from different locations.

A Supreme Court spokesperson said courts have been conducting hearings and delivering judgments remotely to minimize the spread of the virus. The spokesperson, who declined to be identified under court policy, confirmed Genasan's case was the first "where a death sentence was pronounced by remote hearing in Singapore."

"This has been the arrangement made by the court ... with essential hearings conducted via Zoom. We have no complaints," Fernando said Wednesday. He said he will meet Genasan on Friday to discuss an appeal.

[brooklynite]

1. I don't see what the complaint is about...

...unless someone can make a case that the legal process wasn't fair.

(nb - Singapore has had a death penalty for any drug possession conviction going back decades).