Singapore (Commonwealth Union)_Singapore, which has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws is putting it to force fully as the country prepares to execute the first woman in twenty years. If 45 year old Saridewi Djamani is executed, she becomes the second person in three days to be executed for drug trafficking. Singaporean national Mohd Aziz bin Hussain was executed just days ago.
Djamani was found guilty of trafficking 30 grams of heroin in 2018, while Aziz was convicted of trafficking 50 gms of heroin. Aziz’s appeal against his conviction and the sentence was dismissed in 2018. In April this year, Tangaraju Suppiah, another Singapore national was executed for trafficking 1 gram of cannabis, which he said he never touched, although authorities vouch that he coordinated the sale via his mobile phone.
If Djamani’s execution is carried out, it brings the total number of executions since March 2022 in Singapore to a significant fifteen.
Singapore has always espoused that these tough anti-trafficking laws are necessary to protect society with the death penalty being applied for trafficking more than 15 gms of heroin or more than 500 grams of cannabis.
However, there has been criticism from celebrities around the world, including from Sir Richard Branson against the death penalty and Singapore’s penchant for executions. Branson reiterated that the death penalty doesn’t deter crime. Opining on Twitter, Branson explained that small scale traffickers need help as most are bullied due to their circumstances. He asked for a worldwide outcry against Djamani’s execution. Amnesty International joined the uproar stating that the death penalty had by no means reduced or eliminated the use of sale of drugs.
Testifying in court before her sentencing, Djamani said she was stockpiling heroin for personal use during the fasting month and while she didn’t deny selling heroin and methamphetamine from her flat, she said that selling was not the prime focus of her heroin stock. She is one of two women on death row and will be the first woman to be executed since hairdresser Yen May Woen in 2004, who was also convicted of drug trafficking.
China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Singapore are the only four countries to have carried out drug-related executions recently.
