A Singaporean man who was convicted of trying to traffic around 2.2 pounds of cannabis was executed on Wednesday. The severity of the sentence has been criticized by rights groups and campaigners, particularly at a time when many other nations, including neighboring countries, have adopted a more lenient approach towards drugs and capital punishment.
Despite the fact that cannabis has been legalized in a growing number of nations worldwide, Singapore maintains some of the world’s harshest drug laws, and the government remains adamant that capital punishment works to deter drug traffickers and must remain in place to maintain public safety.
Tangaraju Suppiah
a 46-year -old Singaporean, was put to death in Changi Prison, Singapore Prison Service said in a brief statement.
In the days leading up to Tangaraju's execution, family members and activists made public appeals for clemency and questioned the safety of his conviction. The European Union's office in the city-state and a United Nations’ rights office had also called for Singapore not to carry out his hanging.
Tangaraju was sentenced to death in 2018 for “abetting the trafficking of more than one kilogram of cannabis (1,017.9 grams),” according to a statement from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). The court found he was in phone communication with two other men caught trying to smuggle cannabis into Singapore.
“Tangaraju was accorded full due process under the law and had access to legal counsel throughout the process,” CNB’s statement said while describing capital punishment as “part of Singapore’s comprehensive harm prevention strategy.”
However, family members and rights groups who took up Tangaraju's cause rejected the government's claims and detailed why they believed his death sentence conviction was unsafe.
“Tangaraju’s conviction relied mainly on statements from his police interrogation – taken without a lawyer and interpreter present – and the testimony of his two co-accused, one of which had his charges dismissed,” Amnesty International said.
“Once again, Singapore shows how completely out of step they are with the basic concepts of human rights, proportionality in criminal punishments, and justice,” said Phil Robertson, Asia deputy director of Human Rights Watch.
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