Cheers to life! – An update on Noor Atiqah
To Malaysia: at least you have proven to be more progressive than your neighbour down south.
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In March 2011, we received the unfortunate news of Noor Atiqah, a Singaporean single mother, who was sentenced to death in Malaysia. We visited the family and friends who came together as a united front to raise funds for her legal battle against the cruel sentence and never once did they waver in their belief that she was innocent. Their efforts paid off and they managed to hire the service of Malaysian lawyer Gobind Singh Deo to appeal against the sentence on Atiqah’s behalf. You can read about Atiqah’s story here, and a report on her appeal here.
Today, I am extremely delighted to provide the update that her death sentence has been overturned and replaced by 12 years of imprisonment instead. It is a joyous piece of news to celebrate upon and I congratulate her family, friends and lawyers for their achievement. Although I believe that Atiqah does not deserve a single day in prison for she was being set up unknowingly (there is a history of similar cases happening in the region involving Nigerian drug syndicates), having the unjustified death sentence overturned means that she will be able to hold her daughter in her arms once again when she finishes her prison sentence in Malaysia.
I am truly happy for her, the team behind Save Atiqah as well as her young daughter. Congratulations to Atiqah, her family and friends.
To Malaysia: at least you have proven to be more progressive than your neighbour down south. 
Cheers to life!
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this woman is spared by malaysia because she is a malay/muslim.
Comment by m'sia January 20, 2012 @ 10:20 amWhen planning to set up a business the key word is location, location, location. If you are an activist it’s dedication, dedication, dedication! No pretty dresses for Rachel Zeng posing like a fashion model – she doesnt need them. It’s all about hard work doing the nitty gritty.
Comment by alan shadrake January 20, 2012 @ 12:00 pmThank you Alan, you flatter me!
In this case however, we have not actively campaigned for Atiqah, but her family and friends did so the credit goes to them and it is good to see people working tightly together like that. Their never say die spirit really touches me.
Comment by rachelabsinthe January 21, 2012 @ 12:25 amBut, unlike many who should be in the forefront keeping these issues in the public mind, you are always there in whatever role you can play. Singapore and Malaysia need more people like you!
Comment by alan shadrake January 21, 2012 @ 2:55 pmOnce again, thank you Alan, for your encouraging words!
Comment by rachelabsinthe January 22, 2012 @ 1:08 amDear Rachel,
Great work Rachel!! you continue to inspire me with your commitment to life. Keep it up.
Msia has shown us up to be cruel and heartless. The judiciary in Msia are not a closed bunch of money faced ideologues and they have a vibrant political scene which allows for lobbying and dissent.
Spore send low life grunts to the gallows for carrying small amounts of drugs without blinking an eyelid and show zero interest in going after the well connected drug barons who deserve the gallows.
Comment by Ibrahim Ong January 21, 2012 @ 10:17 pmThank you Ibrahim for your kind words of encouragement!
I am not alone however in the campaign to abolish the death penalty and the mandatory death penalty and am very fortunate to work alongside the rest of the activists in Singapore Anti-Death Penalty, We Believe in Second Chances as well as Think Centre and human rights lawyer M Ravi.
Perhaps I am being ambitious here but one day, the world will surely be rid of the death penalty… but I am not sure if I will live to see it. Hopefully I will!
Comment by rachelabsinthe January 22, 2012 @ 1:07 am