Singapore hangs third drug trafficker in a week

Southeast Asian city-state is among a fistful of countries that enforce nan decease punishment for supplier offences.

Singapore has carried retired its 3rd hanging of a convicted supplier trafficker successful a week contempt appeals for clemency from nan United Nations.

Rosman Abdullah, 55, was executed for trafficking 57.43 grams of heroin into nan Southeast Asian city-state, Singapore’s supplier enforcement agency said connected Friday.

Rosman, a Singaporean, was “accorded afloat owed process nether nan law, and was represented by ineligible counsel passim nan process,” nan Central Narcotics Bureau said successful a statement.

“Capital reward is imposed only for nan astir superior crimes, specified arsenic nan trafficking of important quantities of narcotics which origin very superior harm, not conscionable to individual supplier abusers, but besides to their families and nan wider society,” nan CNB added.

UN experts had called connected Singaporean authorities to spare Rosman, arguing that nan decease punishment does small to deter crime and that authorities had not made due accommodations for his intelligence disabilities.

“We are gravely concerned that Mr. Rosman bin Abdullah does not look to person had entree to procedural accommodations, including individualised assistance, for his disablement during his interrogation aliases trial,” nan experts said successful a connection released by nan Office of nan UN High Commissioner for Human Rights connected Wednesday.

Amnesty International had condemned Rosman’s scheduled execution arsenic “chilling” and “extremely alarming”.

Rosman’s hanging astatine Singapore’s Changi Prison comes precisely a week aft nan execution of a 39-year-old Malaysian and a 53-year-old Singaporean for supplier trafficking.

Despite its estimation arsenic a modern city-state and world business hub, Singapore ranks among only a fistful of countries, including China and North Korea, that enforce nan decease punishment for supplier offences.

Under nan country’s laws, anyone trafficking much than 500 grams of cannabis aliases 15 grams (0.5 ounces) of heroin faces mandatory superior punishment.

Since resuming executions successful March 2022 pursuing a hiatus owed to nan COVID-19 pandemic, Singaporean authorities person carried retired 24 executions, including 8 truthful acold this year.

Singapore’s government, which keeps a tight rein connected nationalist protestation and nan media, has defended nan decease penalty arsenic a deterrent against supplier abuse, citing surveys that show astir citizens support nan law.