On Friday, Singapore executed a woman for the first time in 19 years, marking the city-state’s second hanging of convicted drug traffickers this week.
According to the Central Narcotics Bureau, Saridewi Djamani, 45, was sentenced to death in 2018 for trafficking nearly 31 grams of pure heroin. The agency described the amount as “sufficient to feed the addiction of about 370 substance abusers for a week.”
Singapore mandates the death penalty for those convicted of trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis or 15 grams of heroin, despite demands from activists to abolish the death penalty for drug-related crimes.
The Associated Press reported that two days prior to Djamani’s execution, 56-year-old Mohammed Aziz Hussain was executed by hanging for trafficking approximately 50 grams of opium, and another drug trafficker is scheduled to be executed next week.
According to the Central Narcotics Bureau, Djamani and Hussain were afforded the right to appeal their convictions and sentences and petition for clemency.
In 2004, Yen May Woen, a 36-year-old beautician, was executed for drug trafficking in Singapore, marking the last known execution of a female.
Human rights groups, international activists, and the United Nations have urged the city-state to end executions for drug offenses, citing evidence that capital punishment does not deter illicit drug activity.
According to the Associated Press, Singaporean authorities disagree with these findings and insist that death sentences are crucial for reducing drug demand and supply.
According to Transformative Justice Collective, a Singaporean organization that advocates for the abolition of the death penalty, the execution scheduled for August 3 is for a former delivery driver convicted in 2019 of trafficking approximately 50 grams of opium.
The man testified at his trial that he believed he was delivering illicit cigarettes to a friend to whom he owed money, and because he trusted his friend, he did not inspect the bag’s contents. The group stated that despite the court’s determination that he was a courier, he was still required to receive the death penalty under Singaporean law.
If his execution occurs as planned, it will be the fifth in the city-state this year.
Since the resumption of executions for drug offenses in March 2022, human rights groups report that 15 individuals have been executed in Singapore, or roughly one per month.
