‘Inhuman’ flogging of posh Brit drug trafficker whipped naked 24 times in Singapore prison blasted by charity
THE brutal flogging of a posh Brit drug trafficker who was whipped naked 24 times in a Singapore prison has been blasted as "inhuman" by charity campaigners.
London-born Ye Ming Yuen, a 31-year-old ex-public schoolboy, was stripped naked and flogged 24 times while strapped to a wooden bench in a Singapore jail for drugs offences.
His family has not been allowed any contact with him and are desperately worried, Parvais Jabbar of the Death Penalty Project told the
The international charity has helped with Yuen’s legal case since the former Westminster School pupil was arrested in 2016 for the possessing and selling drugs while working as a DJ in Singapore.
Mr Jabbar said the caning of Ye Ming Yuen was the highest possible sentence, in addition to a 20-year prison sentence.
International law clearly states that this is something considered inhuman and degrading.
Parvais Jabbar of the Death Penalty Project
"It raises the question of whether it was really proportionate to his offence. International law clearly states that this is something considered inhuman and degrading," he added.
"It is a form of punishment totally out of tune with any evolving standards of decency.
"Ming’s punishment has been inflicted but his family now wants to highlight the injustice of it, and the inhumanity of such a judgment.
"Singapore is an independent state and it can set and impose its own laws, but the international community now needs to work together to bring political pressure to bear."
The British High Commission in Singapore is understood to have also made an urgent request to see Yuen in prison in order to check on his physical and psychological state.
Recent reports emerged this week that he was punished in the 'caning room' in Changi Prison where he is currently serving 20 years for his crimes.
The former Westminster School pupil's caning came after he had his second appeal rejected by the Singaporean courts.
The Foreign Office has condemned the brutal beating - which came despite calls for leniency from Home Secretary Priti Patel.
According to local reports, investigations found he had begun to sell drugs to fund his lavish lifestyle and pay off gambling debts.
He pleaded guilty to trafficking 15 grams of methamphetamine, possession and consumption charges and was granted bail.
It was at this time that he was once again arrested for the offences of trafficking and possession of cannabis
Yuen pleaded guilty to four of the 12 charges on 18th July 2018 and was sentenced to a total of 20 years jail time and 24 strokes of the cane - the maximum amount allowed in Singapore.
His plight hit the headlines when then Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt brought up the case with Singapore's Foreign Affairs Minister during an official visit in January 2019.
The prisoner's sister, Elysia Yuen, 32, told the Daily Mail: "Ming knows what he did was wrong and deserved to be punished.
"We know it's a different country with different laws and you should respect those laws, but isn't a 20-year prison sentence punishment enough?"
The British High Commission in Singapore said: "The UK strongly opposes corporal punishment in all circumstances and condemns its use in this case."
"The Foreign Secretary, Minister for Asia and the UK High Commissioner to Singapore have made our concerns about this case clear to the Singaporean authorities.
"Our staff continue to support the British man in question and his family."
At £41,000-a-year Westminster School he gained a string of top exam results before apparently falling in with the wrong crowd.
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Caning is a widely used form of corporal punishment in the city state and the punishment for drug use and trafficking are notoriously strict, including the death penalty.
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The 'mandatory death penalty' in applies to those caught with more than 30 grams of cocaine, 200 grams of hashish or 500 grams of cannabis.
Human rights groups say caning in Singapore is a violation of international law and breaches the United Nations Convention Against Torture.
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