Daijiworld Media Network - Singapore
Singapore, Dec 24: Indian-origin former lawyer and noted human rights activist M Ravi, well known for representing death row inmates in Singapore, was found dead on Wednesday. He was 56. Police have launched an investigation into a case of unnatural death, according to a report by The Straits Times.
Ravi, whose full name was Ravi Madasamy, was found dead in the early hours of December 24. Authorities said investigations are underway to ascertain the circumstances surrounding his death.
Born in 1969, Ravi practised law for over 25 years and was widely recognised for taking up high-profile and often controversial cases, including those involving Malaysians on death row. He was also a vocal advocate for the abolition of the death penalty and a strong supporter of LGBTQ rights in Singapore.
Ravi, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2006, had frequently made headlines both for his legal activism and his conduct. Lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam, who had earlier represented Ravi, described him as “a man who stood up for and fought hard in court for what he believed in.”
“He was dedicated to his pro bono work and deeply cared for his clients. He was a friend and he will be deeply missed by all in the legal fraternity,” Thuraisingam was quoted as saying by Channel News Asia.
According to the Encyclopedia of Singapore Tamils, Ravi was a graduate of the National University of Singapore and Cardiff University and was called to the Bar in 1996. He went on to establish his own firm, M Ravi Law, in 2019.
In recognition of his human rights work, Ravi was honoured in 2023 by the International Bar Association with the “Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Legal Practitioner to Human Rights”. The organisation praised his “extraordinary dedication to defending human rights and advocating for the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the abolition of the death penalty in Singapore”.
Under Singapore law, 33 offences — including murder, drug trafficking, terrorism, use of firearms and kidnapping — attract the death penalty.
Ravi also had multiple legal run-ins. He was fined for disorderly behaviour in 2004, placed under a mandatory treatment order for bipolar disorder in 2018, and sentenced to 14 weeks’ jail in 2024 for a series of offences. In 2023, he was suspended from practising law for five years for making what authorities described as “grave and baseless accusations” against the attorney-general and officials from the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Law Society.
Apart from his legal career, Ravi also ventured into politics, contesting the 2015 General Election as a Reform Party candidate. He was an author as well, publishing his autobiography Kampong Boy (A Boy from a Village) in 2013, which was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize the following year.
Ravi’s death has triggered an outpouring of tributes from members of the legal fraternity and human rights community, who remembered him as a passionate, fearless and deeply committed advocate for justice.