Singapore Executes Drug Traffickers in Succession... Female Death Row Inmate Also Executed

First Female Execution in 19 Years
Human Rights Groups Urge "Stop Violating Right to Life"

The Singapore government is carrying out executions of drug offenders despite opposition from human rights organizations.

According to reports from AP and others on the 27th, the Singapore authorities executed a 56-year-old man by hanging the previous day. The man was sentenced to death in 2018 for trafficking about 50g of heroin. On the 28th, a 45-year-old Singaporean woman is scheduled to be executed by hanging for trafficking 30g of heroin. The last time a woman was executed in Singapore was in 2004, making this the first execution of a woman in 19 years.

The Singapore government believes that executions are the most effective measure to prevent drug crimes. In Singapore, a conviction for trafficking more than 500g of cannabis or more than 15g of heroin can result in a death sentence. However, the international community has strongly criticized Singapore's harsh punishments. Many countries are moving toward abolishing the death penalty, and human rights groups argue that executions are not an effective solution to drug problems.

Singapore
Photo by AP Yonhap News

The International Federation for Human Rights (IFHR) urged, "Singapore authorities must immediately stop the blatant violation of the right to life by obsessively enforcing flawed drug policies." Richard Branson, the eccentric billionaire chairman of the Virgin Group in the UK, also criticized Singapore's executions of drug offenders, saying, "It can lead to the death of innocent people."

Earlier in April, a Singaporean man who was charged with trafficking 1kg of cannabis and sentenced to death in 2018 was executed by hanging. The family of the death row inmate and human rights activists requested a pardon from the president, arguing that the evidence of guilt was not clear, but their plea was ultimately rejected.

At the time of arrest, the man claimed he was not in possession of cannabis and had no contact with drug traffickers. However, the Singapore prosecution considered him the mastermind behind the drug trafficking organization because a phone number registered in his name was used to coordinate drug shipments. The United Nations also called for the death sentence to be revoked, but the execution was carried out nonetheless.

Singapore had no executions from 2019 but resumed executions in March last year. Including the woman scheduled for execution on the 28th, 15 drug offenders have been executed since March last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.