Singapore Hangs Man in Second Drug-Related Execution in Three Weeks

Singapore on Wednesday hanged a man for trafficking less than 3.5 kilograms of marijuana, the second execution in three weeks for a crime that carries a lighter sentence in most of the world.

“Capital punishment is part of Singapore’s comprehensive harm prevention strategy targeting drug demand and supply,” the country’s Central Narcotics Bureau said in a statement confirming the execution. It gave the man’s age, 36, but did not identify him by name, as his family had requested, or detail his wrongdoing.

But court documents show that Muhammad Faizal Bin Mohd Shariff was convicted and sentenced to death in 2019 for possessing about 1.6 kilograms, or 3.4 kilograms, of cannabis. Last month, Singapore hanged a man convicted of trafficking around two kilograms of marijuana.

Human rights groups condemned both punishments as excessive, but Singapore has long been tough on drugs, showing no flexibility.

Since 1975, the country has imposed the death penalty on those convicted of drug trafficking. In most cases, the death penalty is imposed for selling more than 500 grams of marijuana, 250 grams of methamphetamine, 30 grams of cocaine or 15 grams of heroin, according to the bureau.

Most inmate deaths in Singapore are related to drug crimes. Of the 54 people awaiting execution in Singapore, 51 are for drug offences, said Kirsten Han, spokeswoman for the Transformative Justice Collective, which has campaigned to abolish the death penalty in Singapore. The remaining three are for murder.

Last year, Singapore executed 11 people for drug crimes. Only five other countries have done so, Ms. Han said: China, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.

Before being charged, Mr. Faizal admitted in court that he intended to consume marijuana himself, only to sell a small portion. On Monday, he filed an appeal to reduce his life sentence, but the appeals court rejected it the next day. He was suspended 21 days after Singapore executed Tangaraju Suppiah for the same offence.

While Southeast Asia used to be known for harsh punishments for drug offenses, countries in the region have relaxed it in recent years. Malaysia has ended the mandatory death penalty for drug offences. Thailand has legalized marijuana.

Death sentences related to drug offenses in Singapore have sparked protests by human rights groups. In 2021, protesters called on the state to halt executions of people convicted of heroin smuggling, saying they should be freed because they have mental disabilities. He was executed in April 2022.

Opponents of Singapore’s drug policy also say it has disproportionately harmed marginalized ethnic minorities. M. Ravi, an international human rights lawyer representing Mr. Faizal, wrote: “It is true that 64.9 percent of the prisoners who died were ethnic Malays,” while Malays make up only 14 percent of Singapore’s population.

Arguments to abolish the death penalty for drug crimes have not gained traction in Singapore.

“The public is still very much pro-death penalty,” Ms. Han said, adding that the opposition is hesitant to touch the issue. “It’s too much of a hot potato for them.”