Thread by @kixes

This morning I worried that few people would show, especially because it rained earlier. When the government repeatedly says there’s overwhelming support for the #deathpenalty, it can make you feel very alone and on the fringe. Thank you to every single person who came today.

https://twitter.com/kixes/status/1510566493070807042

Members of Abdul Kahar's family attended the protest today. They, too, said that the turn-out was larger than they'd expected. Kahar's younger brother, Abdul Mutalib, told me, "It is over for my brother. Now we fight for everyone else."

When @Kokilaparvathi read out the names of people on death row (based on research done by @tjc_singapore), Mutalib expressed shock at how long the list was.

"There are 62 names," I told him.

His eyes widened. "62... [They're] not numbers. They're people."

Behind each of these 62 names is a person who is more than the mistakes they've made. They now languish in single cells in prison, subject to enormous of stress and psychological torture, fearing the day they will be taken to the gallows.

The system restricts their ability to communicate with the outside world. Even before execution, the state tries to erase their humanity by stopping them from speaking for themselves. Most of the time, they have to count on their family members, and on the rest of us.

This is why every single person who showed up today is precious to the movement, every voice necessary. The more the government repeats that the majority of Singaporeans support the death penalty, the more important it is for those of us who reject it to stand up and be counted.