Singapore has scheduled two additional executions for drug trafficking this Friday, marking a pace of capital punishment that has accelerated since March. The move has drawn renewed scrutiny from the United Nations, which has urged the city-state to halt executions amid growing concern over the use of the death penalty for drug offenses.
One of the inmates, identified as Rahim, faced execution in the early hours of Friday after seeking a delay the day before. He participated in a lengthy videoconference hearing amid a historic complaint against the island government and the Office of the Attorney General. Reports from anti-death penalty advocates note that at least 22 individuals were sentenced to death, and they contend that access to legal aid has been restricted by the high fees charged to lawyers defending death row cases, effectively limiting representation for some prisoners.
According to Kirsten Han, coordinator of the Transformative Justice Collective, court deliberations continued until Friday morning before ruling against the petition, describing the process as abusive. Rahim reportedly had only a short window to say goodbye to his family before the sentence could be carried out. Han also stated on social media that the family was assembling at Changi Prison to identify and receive the body, while the identity of the second inmate slated for execution remains undisclosed at this time.
Judicial authorities initially confirmed on Thursday that two executions were planned for early Friday. In Singapore, details about specific detainees are typically not disclosed, and official confirmation often comes indirectly through information shared by families with activists like Han.
Earlier in the week, another two inmates were executed for drug offenses. A 34-year-old Malaysian and a 46-year-old Singaporean were put to death. Han told reporters that the current rate for drug-related executions, all occurring this year, is unprecedented in recent memory and contrasts with a long-term trend toward fewer executions in the past decade. Since the end of March, ten individuals have been hanged for drug trafficking, and activists fear that more than fifty others have been sentenced to death due to the interruption of capital punishment during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift appears to be contributing to a perceived acceleration of executions in the present period.
International observers continue to press Singapore to impose a moratorium on scheduled executions. The United Nations Human Rights Office has urged an immediate halt and has called for a suspension of the death penalty amid concerns over due process and the broader implications for human rights. Singapore, known for its towering skyline and robust innovation ecosystem, enforces some of the strictest anti-drug laws globally, with capital punishment reserved for offenses involving substantial quantities of narcotics. The thresholds cited include penalties for trafficking significant amounts of heroin, cocaine, cannabis, and methamphetamine, underscoring the severity with which the state pursues drug-related crimes.