Singapore’s capital punishment stirs controversy as first female convict faces execution in decades

Singaporean authorities are set to carry out capital punishment on two drug convicts this week, drawing attention to the first female prisoner due for execution in almost two decades. The impending executions have sparked outrage among human rights groups.

According to the local rights group Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), the first convict, a 56 year old man found guilty of smuggling 50 grammes of heroin, is scheduled for execution today at Changi Prison. The second convict, a 45 year old woman, awaits her execution on July 28. Both prisoners are Singaporean, and their families have been informed of the impending executions.

Saridewi Djamani was sentenced to death in 2018 for smuggling close to 30 grammes of heroin. This would be the first execution of a woman in Singapore since 2004 when a woman by the name of Yen May Woen was hanged for related drug charges, reported KhaoSod.

Singapore maintains the use of the death penalty for severe criminal offences such as murder and kidnapping. The nation also has one of the strictest anti-drug laws in the world, with smuggling over 500 grammes of cannabis or more than 15 grammes of heroin carrying the ultimate penalty. Since the resumption of executions following a two-year break in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, at least 13 people have been executed.

Chiara Sangiorgio, a specialist in capital punishment at Amnesty International, called on Singapore to halt the looming executions. Sangiorgio argued that there is no just cause for Singapore to engage in such brutal methods of drug control and there is no evidence to suggest that the death penalty has any deterrent effect on either drug use or the continued existence of drugs. While many countries around the world are abandoning the death penalty and reforming their drug policies, Singapore continues to uphold capital punishment, asserting its effectiveness in curbing crime.

Three weeks ago, a chilling case emerged in Singapore as a young domestic worker faces life imprisonment for fatally stabbing her employer, a 70 year old woman, 26 times. The shocking event reportedly arose after the victim threatened to send the maid, originally from Myanmar, back home. To read more click HERE