1. Madasamy Ravi, better known as M Ravi, is a Singaporean former human rights lawyer and activist.
22 Facts About M Ravi
1. 2.
In 2006, M Ravi defended Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi, a Nigerian sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
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In 2008, M Ravi represented opposition politician Chee Soon Juan and his sister Chee Siok Chin in a defamation lawsuit against them by Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore, and Lee's father, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
4.
From 2009 to 2015, M Ravi represented Yong Vui Kong, a Malaysian citizen sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
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The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, which M Ravi described as "[bringing Singapore] back to the Middle Ages".
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Shortly after, M Ravi successfully reopened the case of death row inmate Cheong Chun Yin, who had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane under the new laws on capital punishment.
7.
In 2019, M Ravi criticised prosecutors and judges in Singapore for a lack of impartiality.
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Sundaresh Menon 8.
The disciplinary tribunal of the Law Society later found that M Ravi should be fined at least S$10,000, finding him guilty of two charges of misconduct under the Legal Profession Act.
9.
On 16 December 2020, Ravi was charged with criminal defamation after he published a post on his Facebook page alleging that Minister for Law K Shanmugam "controls" Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon.
10.
On 14 May 2021, the Court of Appeal ordered Ravi to pay S$5,000 to the prosecution after they found that he had acted improperly in making an "unmeritorious" bid to reopen the case of convicted drug trafficker Syed Suhail Syed Zin, whom Ravi had represented pro bono.
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The court said that M Ravi had brought an application without any real basis, misrepresented certain facts in his affidavit, and made baseless allegations against Syed Suhail's former lawyer without giving him a chance to respond.
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In May 2024, M Ravi was disbarred by the Court of Three Judges for making comments about the Singapore government and improper conduct during the proceedings of a trial.
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In 2019, Ravi began representing Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, a Malaysian citizen sentenced to death for smuggling drugs into Singapore.
14.
On 2 November 2023, M Ravi was awarded the 2023 IBA Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Legal Practitioner to Human Rights by the International Bar Association for his work on LGBT rights and the death penalty.
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In 2014, M Ravi was awarded the Asia Pink Award, an LGBT rights advocacy prize by Element Magazine, for his pro-bono work in challenging the legality of Section 377A.
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In 2006, M Ravi was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition his mother had.
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In November 2017, whilst on a manic episode, M Ravi broke into Eugene Thuraisingam's law firm, where he had previously worked, and assaulted Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss and another lawyer.
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In July 2023, M Ravi was charged with assault and disorderly behaviour in public for allegedly slapping a man and shouting at Yio Chu Kang MRT station.
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In September 2023, M Ravi was charged for voluntarily causing hurt, disorderly behaviour in public, and harassment, after allegedly slapping a woman in Sri Mariamman Temple and verbally harassing two other people.
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On 8 November 2023, M Ravi was sentenced to 21 days of imprisonment for contempt of court.
21.
The trial judge Hoo Sheau Peng decided that M Ravi's condition did not materially affect his decision-making ability, and found that he had not been compliant with his medication regime.
22.
In 2014, M Ravi wrote an autobiography, Kampong Boy, which was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize.