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Russian girl free after 4 mths in Singapore jail for ecstasy use

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An 18-year-old Russian girl has been freed after serving four months in a Singapore jail on drug charges, a local newspaper said.
JAKARTA, April 18 (RIA Novosti) - An 18-year-old Russian girl has been freed after serving four months in a Singapore jail on drug charges, a local newspaper said.

Yulia Kalinichenko arrived in Singapore to visit her father, a businessman, in July after finishing studies at a school in Switzerland. In October 2006, she was found in possession of 1.5 tablets of ecstasy at a local night club and sentenced to six months in prison, The Straits Times said.

Her lawyer said the girl, who had admitted her guilt, needed to return to Switzerland to continue her studies before her visa expired.

The judge, V.K.Rajah said that he "did not want a moment of youthful recklessness to ruin a person's future forever," adding that her nationality had no bearing on his decision.

Singapore is famous for its harsh drug laws, and according to Amnesty International, is a world leader in handing out the death sentence. In 1991-2004, 420 people were hanged for drug offences in the country of 4.2 million.

The death sentence is automatic for those found guilty of being in possession of more that 500 grams of cannabis, 15 grams of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine or 250 grams of amphetamines.

Konstantin Cherkasov, a department head at the Russian consulate in Singapore, was unable to confirm Yulia's release Wednesday.

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