DROGA: CORRIERE AUSTRALIANO SARA IMPICCATO A SINGAPORE
SYDNEY, Sara' giustiziato nelle prossime settimane, l'australiano di
origine vietnamita arrestato all'aeroporto di Singapore, nel dicembre
del 2002, con quasi 400 grammi di eroina addosso.
Nguyen Tuong Van, 25 anni, stava trasportando la droga dalla Cambogia
fino a Melbourne, ma un controllo all'aeroporto di Singapore aveva
fatto scoprire i 396 grammi di eroina, divisa tra bagaglio a mano e
bustine fasciate attorno al torace. Nguyen aveva detto di aver
accettato di portare la droga per pagare i debiti contratti dal suo
gemello, a Melbourne. Il ministro degli esteri australiano, Alexander
Downer, ha dichiarato oggi che ''Nguyen sara' impiccato nelle prossime
settimane, e nulla potra' salvarlo. Singapore prevede la pena di morte
per il traffico di eroina e il governo e' stato chiaro: il processo e'
finito, non ci saranno altri appelli''.
Gli
avvocati del giovane oggi hanno rilasciato un comunicato nel quale
dicono che ''la sentenza e' del tutto sproporzionata al crimine
commesso.
Le
uniche persone a trarre beneficio da questa decisione sono i criminali
che hanno ingaggiato Van e che sanno che con la sua morte le loro
malefatte resteranno impunite''.
La
madre di Van era scappata dal Vietnam da sola, una delle prime ''boat
people'' ad arrivare in Australia, nel 1980. I suoi figli, due gemelli
maschi, erano rimasti in un campo per rifugiati in transito per
quattro mesi, prima di essere ammessi in Australia. Negli ultimi dieci
anni a Singapore sono stati impiccati 400 trafficanti di droga. (ANSA)
COR 21-OTT-05 12:01 ++ Death row Australian loses clemency bid
Australian man faces imminent death by hanging, for smuggling of
heroin.
A
plea for presidential clemency for Melbourne man Nguyen Tuong Van has
been turned down in Singapore. Nguyen was caught in Singapore trying
to smuggle almost 400 grams of heroin from Cambodia to Australia three
years ago. The Australian Government had appealed for clemency for
Nguyen, who has been on death row in Changi prison since being
sentenced in March last year. He now faces execution, possibly within
10 days. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia had done
it's utmost to save Nguyen's life.
"We
are very sad that this has happened," Mr Downer said. "We have done
our best, we have done everything we can to save his life." Nguyen's
Australian lawyers described the decision as "devastating for him, his
family and friends".
Lex
Lasry QC said Nguyen had always admitted his guilt and given
constructive help to authorities including the Australian Federal
Police. "The decision appears to pay no heed to the provisions of the
Singapore Constitution that make specific reference and provide for
clemency to those who assist the authorities with information which
can be used to prosecute others," he said. Mr Lasry called on the
Singapore Government to reverse its decision. Nguyen was sentenced to
death last year after being found guilty by a Singapore court of
smuggling almost 400 grams of heroin from Cambodia via Singapore.
He
was found to have 396 grams of heroin strapped to his back and also in
his hand luggage. Nguyen said he had the drugs because he was trying
to raise money to clear debts incurred by his twin brother. Mr Downer
said Australia had pleaded for clemency via Prime Minister John Howard,
Governor General Michael Jeffery and himself.
Nguyen is set to become the fourth Australian sentenced to death by
Asian countries on drug charges, following the hanging of Brian
Chambers and Kevin Barlow in Malaysia in 1986. In a lesser-known case,
Queenslander Michael McAuliffe died by hanging in Malaysia in June
1993 after serving eight years in jail. In Singapore, the death
sentence is mandatory for drug smuggling and more than 400 people have
been executed there in the past 10 years. Australia's Council for
Civil Liberties says Singapore executes more people per capita than
any other country in the world.
Two
other Australians are currently facing the death penalty after being
convicted of heroin-related charges - both in Vietnam. Opposition
foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd called on the Singaporean cabinet
to reconsider its position. "Singapore law provides for mercy to be
sought and we strongly believe that mercy should be applied in the
case of this young Australian," he said in a statement. "We appeal to
the individual members of the Singaporean cabinet to find it in their
hearts to save this man's life. "While drug trafficking is a very
serious crime and we respect Singapore's right to protect its citizens
from such crimes, we do not believe that putting a young man to death
in these circumstances serves any purpose." Mr Rudd expressed his
sympathy to Nguyen's family. "This is a truly tragic case and our
hearts go out to this young Australian and his poor mother in
Melbourne," he said. "We will do everything in our power to ask the
Singaporean government to reconsider this decision." Nguyen's mother
fled Vietnam alone in a boat in 1980 and had her twin sons in a
transit camp in Malaysia before being accepted into Australia four
months later.