For the first time in nearly 20 years, Singapore has executed a woman, hanging a 45-year-old citizen who was found in possession of 31 grams of heroin.
Saridewi Binte Djamani was executed by hanging on Friday after being found guilty of trafficking “not less than 30.72 grams” of the drug in 2018, according to a statement from the Central Narcotics Bureau.
The bureau claimed that Djamani had received “full due process under the law” and had access to legal representation throughout the process.
Despite objections from human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, which claims Singapore’s use of the death penalty for drug offenses violates international law and does little to deter drug use, Djamani’s execution still proceeded.
“We call on the international community, particularly States who have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, to help halt this inhumane, ineffective and discriminatory practice in Singapore,” Amnesty International said in a statement earlier this week.
Transformative Justice Collective, a local advocacy group, had condemned authorities for their “bloodthirsty streak” ahead of the execution.
According to allegations that a 46-year-old ethnic Tamil citizen was hanged despite not receiving adequate interpretation during police interrogations, a group of United Nations experts called for an immediate moratorium and described the rate of executions in Singapore for drug offenses as “highly alarming” in April.
Singapore’s government, which strictly monitors media coverage and public protest, has defended its use of the death penalty as a deterrent against drug trafficking and provided surveys showing that the majority of its citizens support the law.
Source-Aljazeera
