Darshan Singh has executed 850 people (and he's not even from Texas!). Nguyen Tuong Van might be 851.
You are looking at a record holder, that man to the left. His name is Darshan Singh and he is something of a celebrity. You might not have heard of him. He's a professional executioner. He is a hangman. His is the last face Nguyen Tuong Van, an Australian of Vietnamese lineage convicted of drug smuggling, will ever see.…
Article comments
26 - Linda Gag
I agree heroin ruins families and kills people. But this was the first time, NGUYEN TUONG VAN did heroin smuggle and he didn’t give drugs to anyone before he got caught. So he DIDN’T kill anybody. Therefore, he deserves a second chance.
In general, capital punishment is for someone who DID murder.
A senior United Nations human rights official says the Australian Government has mishandled the appeal for clemency for Van Nguyen, who is on death row in Singapore.
Professor Philip Alston, the chief adviser on the death penalty to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, says Australia should be aggressively lobbying Asian countries that apply the death penalty in drug cases.
Professor Alston is a professor of law at New York University and the brother of the former Howard Government minister Richard Alston.
He has also been lobbying the Singaporean Government over the case of the Melbourne man on behalf of the UN.
He says that applying a mandatory element to the death penalty in drug cases is a contravention of international law.
Professor Alston is critical of the Australian Government's approach to the Nguyen case, saying it is not enough for the Government to seek clemency in an individual case.
"The appropriate approach which the Government should take, but has opted not to, is pressing not Singapore but a range of other countries in the region on the fact that they treat drug offences as being punishable by death, which is not appropriate under international law," he said.
"Secondly, they classify these cases as requiring a mandatory or compulsory death penalty. So it doesn't matter what the individual circumstances of the case are, the court has no option, no matter how mitigating factors might be brought into case, except to say 'you must die', and that's if there's no further appeal, there's no further consideration.
"That's not consistent with international law, there's a very strong body of that indicating that governments are not permitted to do that sort of thing.
"Now the Australian Government has not been pushing these arguments at all, as far as I've seen, and while it's encouraging that they express regret, I think there is another step they need to take, and it's not just in one of these individual cases but it's going to affect an increasing number of Australians."
Professor Alston says the Australian Government needs to raise the profile of its anti-death penalty argument in the Asian region.
27 - cici
Every one in our lives makes mistakes.. Agreed??? We somehow pretended to 'forget' our mistakes and move on, others took that on board and learnt as a lesson. Many of us have had the opportunities to gain an insight into our sins,and pretended to be as normal as possible.
Nguyen Tuong Van is the same. He made a mistake,but why HANG HIM????Where is JUSTICE?Put it this way... why nailed on him but not others such the 'big guy'behind this scene???So by hanging him, does it helped to stop others drug's smuggler??? or it would increased the anger, frustration in Australian citizens in this regard?? If anyone who are currently reading this can 'silently'say to them self that"I HAVE NO SIN,I'VE NEVER COMMITTED ANY SUCH CRIME,I'VE NEVER MAKE ANY MISTAKES,I'VE NEVER LIED..."oh well guess what!! you are either have a multipersonality or some crazy jerk that full of denies and liar.Comeone everyone,DO SOMETHING to save this young man's live. Don't just sit there. Get your act together. Nguyen co-operated with the police and admitted the crime,he should NEVER serve the DEATH SENTENCE.
28 - Lawry
Van is a smart chap. I do not, for a minute believe that he is not aware of the risk he is taking. This is not the same as learning from your mistakes.
Drugs trafficking is not an ordinary "crime". See the big picture. Drugs have far-reaching implications. Broken families, increased robberies to feed the habit, increased crime, unsafe communities for YOUR kids, just to name a few.
If a person has to be charged only when he carries out the "intended" crime, why then does Australia support pre-emptive strikes against Iraq for "preceived" terrorism ? Were there any Iraqis on board any of the 4 planes on 911 ? I don't remember any !
29 - ana
Ok, i firstly watned to say that i respect everyones opinion here, and i hope that everyone can respect mine too. I myself have a cousin who is currently in jail serving a very long sentence for drug dealing, so i personally know how traumatic this is and the strain it has on famliy, however, my cousin is not on death row, and is not overseas about to be hanged. He is here, in australia, being punished for what he did, not being put to death. I understand the people who believe that the death penalty is wat they deserve, I understand why you would think that, and fair enough, thats your opinion. I just think that personally, we have no right to judge wether a person's soul should be condemned to life or death based on their actions ESPECIALLY if we dont know them and the full story (i.e. pretty much everyone except for Van's family and friends and the judges etc.) It is one thing to have an opinion and voice it, but to say things like 'hang the jerk' or stuff like that, i think that is just being immature. Im sure if that was your brother/cousin/or relative about to be hanged for a crime you would not be saying things like that and you would want the support of whoever you can get. But then again, i guess we will never know until we are put in a situation like that ourselves, which hopefully, none of us will experience. Yes, I know that those drugs affect innocent lives etc etc, and that is an extremely valid point, however, do you think that by hanging one drug dealer, it will reduce the people being affected? no, because they wil find other people to buy it from etc. its not like Van Nguyen was the main drug supplier to the entire nation of Singapore. But hey, im just one person with another opinion, wat do i know right?
30 - Save Auassie Lifes
Hello all
First off, i am Singaporean. The majority of us support capital punishment. There will be an uproar if Van gets special treatment. For us heroin is the worst of all narcotic drug so not only did he traffic with a large amount but it is of the worst form.
If the drug land into Australia, that is 26000 doses. The profit will fund other crimes, In fact drug profits are related to the more violent crimes. The doses will lead to more drug abuse and death. If succesful, this will lead to more destrroyed lifes. Undoubtedly Van will rise up the ranks and probably be a recruiter of more mules. I believe that this episode have prevented the ruin of more lifes in australia and the message must be brought home that aussie youths should not becomes pawns of Asian drug lords. Your drug culture is strong and you are a consumer of it and hence you don't sense the abhorence of the crime ... Asia hates it as it spwans so much death and misery. You hate it when Asia produces it. Kill this drug culture with a strong hand for your own sake. Note China was brought down in some sense by the opium additiction and the profits went to UK firms which were legal.
I read somewhere the argument that capital punishment does not reduce the crime rate. Detection is the key. The person is right, consider when you come to Singapore, the announcements will tell you it is a capital offence to carry drugs, ... signboard will tell you its a capital offence ... this is where one truly gets nervous and you get detected by the non uniform police or uniform ones. They are trained to spot nervousness and conduct a search. But the law is the law to have effectiveness, the punishment has to be meted out though it is much hated and it is not this end that is wanted.
Capital punishment is hideous. I will tell you sincerely that our government would wish that they need not hang Van or anybody.
So please don't enter into our country with drugs. "Believe me your body will betray you ... it is very tough to control your body ... you will sweat and you will twitch and there are many eyes and cameras watching you and they want you to know it."
31 - vivid
well Ana, for any other drug supplier caught, they will be bloody hanged also. That's all there is. Death.
32 - holler
Grizlock, u have a certain coldness in you that i hope there is a pack of drug will be secretly dropped into your bagpack while you were travelling & get hanged.
MY POINT IS: What is Law without compassion?
33 - holler
OH WHAT THE HECK! LET'S GET EVERYBODY HANGED FOR ALL THE THINGS THEY DO IN OBJECT TO WRECK HOMES (i.e. adultery as well)
The technicalities should apply the same right?
For God sake, Nguyen is only on transit via Singapore (correct me if i'm wrong). Shouldn't the law officials consider the 'real' damage as a fact that Nguyen caused? Which this is his first attempt to even carry the drugs! This case did NOT cause harm to anyone by fact; & to kill him = to kill an innocent man. It is sad.
34 - Australians4Australians
Aren't we Australians hypocrites?
We Australian's condemn the death penalty only when other nations execute one of our own. Why? Because we are ass-holes.
Don't you believe me? Then read the following:
On 16 February 2003 the Australian PM said in a Sunday morning television interview that the Bali bombers "should be dealt with in accordance with Indonesian law. ...and if [the death penalty] is what the law of Indonesia provides, well, that is how things should proceed. There won't be any protest from Australia".
In early March 2003 the PM told US television that he would welcome the death penalty for Osama Bin Laden. "I think everybody would", Mr Howard said.
In response to these comments:
"Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia would not intervene if bin Laden was to be executed. 'I personally have never supported the death penalty but in the case of Osama bin Laden, I don't think that too many tears would be shed if he was executed, bearing in mind all the people he's responsible for killing."
See I told you!
Now why don't we want the lives Bali bombers spared? Because they are not Australian. See we are ass-holes.
Now read this:
JOHN Howard has denied it is hypocritical to seek clemency for Australians facing the death penalty abroad, but not to oppose it for deposed Iraqi despot Saddam Hussein.
The Prime Minister, disturbed by the death of Nguyen Tuong Van, has promised Canberra will campaign for clemency should any of the Bali Nine be condemned to death in Indonesia.
Mr Howard said yesterday his opposition to capital punishment did not extend to Saddam, the former Iraq dictator on trial in Baghdad for genocide.
"It's not hypocritical, it's just human," he told Melbourne radio after Van's execution yesterday morning.
"You bring your own subjective judgment about the quality of the behaviour involved in the action that has led to the imposition of the death penalty."
While reluctant to speak on the fate of the nine Australians facing heroin charges in Bali, Mr Howard guaranteed support for other Australians sentenced to death in foreign countries.
"Clearly, if people in the future are sentenced to death, Australian citizens, we will advocate clemency," he said.
How about this one:
Three more Australians are reported to be on death row in Asia following the execution of Nguyen Tuong Van in Singapore on Friday.
The Sunday Telegraph newspaper says Mai Cong Thanh, 46, from Melbourne, and Nguyen Van Chinh, 45, from NSW, are facing death in Vietnam after being convicted of conspiring to smuggle heroin into Australia. The other Australian, Henry Chhin, is in jail in China after being arrested in May last year and convicted last March of trying to send 270 grams of methamphetamine to Australia.
It says they lost their appeals against the death sentence earlier this year, and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is supporting calls for clemency.
The paper says that in the past Vietnam has commuted the death sentences of several Australians after pleas by the Australian government.
As I said, we are self serving Australian ass-holes.
35 - Victor Plenty
No, you aren't.
36 - Australians
The hypocrisy of it all
What I find even more amazing is the way in which Australians ignore the plight of victims of crime, even those who are murdered; unless of course the murderer is from another country, then he/she (the murderer) is barbaric, evil, or a terrorist. Otherwise the victims and their families are left to fight their own battles.
The public don't have a 5 min silence for these victims, the churches don't ring bells in memory of the victims, and the media seldom mention them; but even worse no one cares until the criminal gets out and attacks them, then we are back to square one again and the new victim is just another statistic.
As I said, we are self serving Australian ass-holes.
37 - Dave Nalle
IMO the problem here is less the existence of the death penalty than its application to Heroin smuggling. The insanity of worldwide drug prohibition laws is amply demonstrated by these cases.
Dave
38 - Australians
Dave I think you have missed the point that I was trying to make about the way we value life and whose life we really value.
39 - Amy
I am a Singh, which means we belong to a very religious group called the Sikhs. Mr. Dharsan Singh has tarnished the Sikh's name "Singh".
If he so calls himself a sikh than he should have not landed in a job like this. Sikhs believe in honest living and by killing or taking ones life is not Honest living.
Sikhism does not preach on Barbaric, brutal, cruel and degrading and inhuman acts.
Darshan singhs tells his prisioners (like as if they are his victims - trapped) telling the media that they struggle like chickens and fish out of water) -which means his victims suffered in his hands.
Our religion is a very respectable one.
I read that Darshan Singh did this because of bread and butter. He could have gone to his local temple and did some voluntary work there and act free holy food that is prepared in our Temples everyday. He did not have to take this post and degrade our Sikh religion.
40 - from melbourne, australia
thankyou deeply. today is one year anniversary of van's hanging, but even a year on, his story still strikes a chord in my heart. your blog has restored my faith in the goodness of others.
thankyou.