Singapore executed two people convicted of drug trafficking by hanging yesterday, a “shameful and inhuman punishment” as activists called it, bringing the number of executions in the city-state to four since March.
The executions came after the hanging of a mentally disabled man in April sparked international outrage.
Singapore, which has one of the strictest drug laws in the world, insists that the death penalty is a deterrent against drug trafficking.
According to human rights activist Kirsten Han, 32-year-old Malaysian Kalwant Singh and Singaporean Norasharee Gous were executed yesterday.
The activist told AFP that he received the death certificate of Kalwant’s sister and that Norasharee’s family took the body to a mosque.
Amnesty International described Singapore’s implementation of the death penalty as “a clear violation of human rights”.
Kalwant and Norasharee were convicted in a heroin smuggling case in 2016.
The Malaysian filed a last-minute appeal Wednesday and said he provided the information leading up to the arrest of a prominent drug trafficker, but the request was denied by a panel of three judges.
Activists fear more executions in the coming months.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Home Secretary K Shanmugam defended Singapore’s stance on the death penalty, saying there was “clear evidence that it is an important deterrent for alleged drug traffickers”.
source: Noticias
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