Amnesty condemns Singapore execution spree as two more men are hanged

Singapore executed a Malaysian national and a Singapore citizen early on Thursday, taking total hangings this year to four

The Amnesty International has urged authorities in Singapore to end its “wave of hangings” and sought a moratorium on capital punishment sentences, stating that death penalty is “never the solution”.

The statement came after Singapore executed two more men – Malaysian national Kalwant Singh and Singaporean Norasharee Gous – early on Thursday, taking the total hangings in the city state this year to four. They were both convicted for drug trafficking-related offences.

Condemning Singaporean officials for executing people convicted of drug-related offences in violation of international law and “callously disregarding” public outcry, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for research Emerlynne Gil on Thursday said that the south Asian country has gone against the worldwide trend of abolishing the death penalty.

“Singapore is just one of four countries known to have executed people for drug-related offences in recent years,” she said.

“The death penalty is never the solution and we oppose it unconditionally. There is no evidence that it acts as a unique deterrent to crime,” Ms Gil added, terming the use of death penalty a “blatant violation of human rights”.

Amnesty International has also questioned the assistance granted to one of the convicts who was sentenced to mandatory death penalty as the human rights organisation pointed to the court findings that said the person’s role was limited to only transportation of drugs.

It was referring to Singh, who was convicted and sentenced to mandatory capital punishment in 2016 against the crime of drug trafficking in 2013, despite the High Court concluding that he was a “courier” in the case.

Official at Amnesty said that the Singapore authorities did not give the convict’s family enough time to travel from Malaysia by informing them of the execution only last week and set the date for 7 July.

State administration is bound by duty to protect human rights for all, the statement added.

“We urge Singaporean authorities to immediately stop this latest wave of hangings and impose a moratorium on executions as a step towards ending this shameful and inhuman punishment,” Ms Gil said.

The capital punishment on Thursday sparked concerns among activists, lawyers and human rights workers as it showed a clear uptick in the use of execution by Singaporean authorities against drug trafficking crimes, which the island republic brands as most serious crimes.

No death penalties were recorded in Singapore in 2020 and 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

As of July 2022, nearly 60 people are on death row in Singapore, reported The South China Morning Post.

The two convicts were hanged in Singapore’s Changi Prison on Thursday morning according to the country’s norms, following which authorities handed over their death certificates and belongings to their families.