BANGKOK: Singapore on Wednesday executed a a 46-year-old man convicted of trafficking one kilogramme of cannabis, in a move condemned by rights advocates.
Singaporean Tangaraju Suppiah, who was convicted of abetting the trafficking of 1,017 grammes of cannabis, was hanged at Changi prison, Amnesty International confirmed, reported German news agency (dpa).
“The many flaws in the case... to the lack of disclosure of key evidence from the prosecution, as well as the continued reliance on the mandatory death penalty renders this execution arbitrary under international human rights law,“ Amnesty International’s deputy regional director, Ming Yu Hah, said in a statement.
The execution took place despite pleas by the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and the European Union’s delegation to Singapore not to proceed.
“We have concerns around due process and respect for fair trial guarantees,“ OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement.
“We call on the Singapore government to adopt a formal moratorium on executions for drug-related offences and to ensure the right to a fair trial for all defendants in line with its international obligations,“ Shamdasani added.
“The EU delegation and the diplomatic missions of the EU member states and of Norway and Switzerland had called on the Singapore authorities to halt the execution of Tangaraju... and to commute his sentence to a non-capital sentence,“ a joint statement said.
Singapore’s drug laws are extremely strict and can carry the death penalty. - Bernama