Author Shadrake loses Singapore appeal over 'Hangman' book

British author Alan Shadrake lost an appeal of his contempt of court conviction in Singapore today and will begin a jail sentence next week.

Shadrake, 76, refused to apologise for his book, 'Once A Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice In The Dock', which criticises the country’s use of the death penalty for crimes such as drug trafficking.

High Court judge Andrew Phang upheld a six-week jail term that begins on Wednesday. Shadrake will also serve an extra two weeks in jail after declining to pay a €11,400 fine.

M Ravi, Shadrake’s lawyer, said his client’s jail term would probably be reduced by a third for good behaviour.

“They tried to scare me into apologising,” Shadrake told reporters after the ruling. “They’re bullies who don’t like freedom of speech.”

The attorney-general’s office said statements in the book impugned the impartiality, integrity and independence of the judiciary. The government says any statement that damages the reputations of its leaders hinders its ability to rule effectively.

A criminal defamation investigation against Shadrake is still pending.

Human rights groups say Singapore uses criminal defamation laws to silence critics. Singapore’s leaders have sued journalists and political opponents several times in past years for defamation.

“The prosecution of Alan Shadrake for doing nothing more than calling for legal reform is a devastating blow to free speech in Singapore,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch.

“More broadly, until the government releases its iron grip on basic freedoms, the Singaporean people will remain all the poorer.”

The government says restrictions on speech and assembly are necessary to preserve economic prosperity and racial and religious harmony in the multiethnic city-state of 5.1 million people.

Essex-born father-of-four Shadrake was arrested on July 18 and freed on bail two days later. He said he did not expect to be arrested after hosting a book launch party on July 17 because the government has not banned the sale of the book in Singapore.

The book features an interview with Darshan Singh, who was Singapore’s hangman from 1959 to 2005.

Singapore applies capital punishment by hanging for offences such as murder, drug trafficking and unlawful use of a firearm.

The island nation at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula is one of the world’s richest countries and has a very low violent-crime rate.