Singapore Executes First Woman in Nearly Two Decades for Heroin Trafficking
Singapore has conducted its first execution of a woman in 19 years and its 2nd hanging this week for drug trafficking.
Singapore Carries Out Execution of Woman for Drug Trafficking Amidst Calls to Halt Capital Punishment
In a significant development, Singapore executed a woman on Friday for drug trafficking, marking the country’s first instance of capital punishment for a female convict in 19 years. The city-state has faced international appeals to abolish the death penalty, particularly for drug-related offenses.
The executed woman, Saridewi Djamani, aged 45, was convicted in 2018 of trafficking approximately 31 grams (1 ounce) of pure heroin, also known as diamorphine, as confirmed by the Central Narcotics Bureau. This quantity was deemed sufficient to sustain the addiction of about 370 drug abusers for a week. Under Singaporean laws, possessing more than 500 grams (17.6 ounces) of cannabis or 15 grams (0.5 ounces) of heroin warrants the death penalty.
This execution comes merely two days after another individual, Mohammed Aziz Hussain, a 56-year-old Singaporean man, was hanged for trafficking around 50 grams (1.7 ounces) of heroin.
Singaporean authorities maintain that both Djamani and Hussain received due process, including the right to appeal their convictions and sentences, as well as petition for presidential clemency.
Despite growing opposition from human rights organizations, activists, and the United Nations, Singapore continues to defend its capital punishment stance, asserting that it plays a crucial role in combating drug demand and supply.
Anti-death penalty activists reveal that Singapore has executed a total of 15 individuals for drug offenses since resuming capital punishment in March 2022, averaging one execution per month.
The last known execution of a woman in Singapore was that of 36-year-old hairdresser Yen May Woen in 2004, who was also convicted of drug trafficking.
Advocacy group Transformative Justice Collective disclosed that a new execution notice has been served to another inmate, an ethnic Malay citizen who worked as a delivery driver prior to his arrest in 2016. He was found guilty in 2019 of trafficking approximately 50 grams (1.7 ounces) of heroin, and his appeal was dismissed the following year. The group states that during the trial, the man claimed he believed he was transporting contraband cigarettes for a friend to whom he owed money, and thus, did not verify the contents of the bag out of trust for his friend.
The court ruled that their relationship did not warrant such trust, despite acknowledging the man’s role as a mere courier. Consequently, the man was still sentenced to the mandatory death penalty as prosecutors did not provide him with a certificate of cooperation, according to the Transformative Justice Collective.
Critics argue that Singapore’s strict policy disproportionately affects low-level traffickers and couriers, who are often recruited from vulnerable and marginalized communities. They also point out that Singapore’s stance is at odds with the global trend of countries moving away from capital punishment. Neighboring Thailand, for instance, has legalized cannabis, while Malaysia has recently eliminated the mandatory death penalty for serious offenses.
The execution of Saridewi Djamani and the scheduled execution of another prisoner have reignited the debate over Singapore’s use of the death penalty, prompting renewed calls for an immediate moratorium on its application.
