2023-07-29 10:30:22
A 45-year-old woman was sentenced to death for drug possession in 2018. She was hanged on Friday.
Despite protests by human rights activists, a woman has been executed in Singapore for the first time in almost 20 years.
A 45-year-old woman who was sentenced to death in 2018 for possessing nearly 31 grams of pure heroin (diamorphine) was hanged on Friday, the narcotics squad said. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and celebrities had asked the authorities in the city-state to pardon the convicts.
A woman was last hanged in Singapore in 2004. The 36-year-old had also previously been convicted of drug-related offenses.
➤ Read more: Singapore will execute a woman for the first time in almost 20 years
Extremely strict drug laws
Singapore has extremely strict laws when it comes to offenses such as drug possession or dealing. “The Substance Abuse Act provides for the death penalty if the amount of diamorphine trafficked is more than 15 grams,” the department wrote. “30.72 grams of diamorphine is more than double that amount and is enough to satisfy the addiction of about 370 drug addicts for a week.”
Amnesty International said a few days ago that there was no evidence that the death penalty had a deterrent effect or had any impact on the use or availability of drugs.
A 57-year-old man was executed on Wednesday for possessing around 50 grams of diamorphine.
“It is shameful that the Singapore government continues to hang people for nonviolent drug crimes, joining countries like North Korea and Iran,” tweeted British billionaire Richard Branson. “It’s time Singapore’s killing spree stopped before its reputation was permanently damaged.”
After the end of the corona pandemic, during which executions were suspended, the authorities in Singapore initiated a new “execution series”, Human Rights Watch (HRW) wrote last year. In 2022 alone, at least eleven people were sentenced to death.
“Activists and lawyers have been systematically harassed and even arrested and imprisoned for speaking out against the death penalty and other issues.”
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