A British journalist on trial for contempt of court for a book on the death penalty in Singapore made "baseless" attacks against the judiciary, a government lawyer said Monday, DPA reported.
Alan Shadrake's book contained at least 14 statements "to challenge the rule of law by attacking the Singapore judiciary," Hema Subramanian from the Attorney General's Chambers told the High Court at the start of the trial.
The statements implied the courts were biased against the poor and succumbed to political and economical pressure, she said, and called the allegations "baseless and irresponsible."
Shadrake's lawyer M Ravi said the book was "a serious-minded and compassionate examination of the death penalty in Singapore."
Shadrake, 75, in his book titled Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock, described several death penalty cases.
He included interviews with a former executioner, human rights activists and police officers.
Based in Malaysia, Shadrake was arrested in Singapore in July following a launch of his book in the city-state.
He is out on bail but his passport has been impounded to prevent him from leaving Singapore until the case is resolved. If convicted he is likely to face a fine and a jail term.