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M Ravi: a prominent attorney of Indian descent who was well-known for defending death row convicts in Singapore, including Malaysians, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 56.

The Straits Times reported that he had been discovered dead in the early hours of December 24. According to the daily news, police are looking into an unnatural death case.

Born in 1969, Ravi, whose full name was Ravi Madasamy, practiced law for almost 25 years.

In addition to being a supporter of the LGBTQ community and a supporter of abolishing the death penalty, he has made headlines for his actions.

In 2006, Ravi received a bipolar illness diagnosis.

Ravi “was a man who stood up for and fought hard in court for what he believed in,” according to attorney Eugene Thuraisingam, who had previously represented Ravi.

Thuraisingam was described by Channel News Asia as stating, “He was committed 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.”

Ravi was called to the bar in 1996 after graduating from Cardiff University and the National University of Singapore, according to the online Encyclopedia of Singapore Tamils.

In 2019, he established M Ravi Law, his own legal practice.

He received the International Bar Association’s “Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Legal Practitioner to Human Rights” in 2023 in recognition of his human rights efforts.

Ravi’s “extraordinary dedication to defending human rights and advocating for the decriminalization of homosexuality and the abolition of the death penalty in the Republic of Singapore” was commended by the organization, according to the Channel article.

According to Singaporean law, thirty-three offenses—including murder, drug trafficking, terrorism, gun usage, and kidnapping—are punishable by death.

After receiving a required treatment order to manage his bipolar disease in 2018 and a fine for disorderly behavior in 2004, Ravi had further run-ins with the police until receiving a 14-week prison term for a series of offenses in 2024.

For bringing “severe and baseless accusations of improper conduct” against the attorney general, officials from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and the Law Society, he was suspended from practicing law for five years in 2023.

As a member of the Reform Party slate, Ravi ran as a one-time candidate in the 2015 General Election.

In 2013, his autobiography, Kampong kid (a kid from a hamlet), was published. He was also an author.

The next year, the work made the Singapore Literature Prize shortlist.