As Amnesty International pleads to stop Singapore’s fifth execution in under four months, one man, whose name is not being released, was executed by hanging at the Changi Prison Complex in east Singapore for the crime of trafficking cannabis.
Singaporean executions are carried out by “long-drop hanging”—usually taking place at dawn. The country is notorious for its use of corporal and capital punishments, and the country’s hanging system has been criticized for at least the past 20 years. During canings, for instance, a 1.2 meter-long cane of about 1.2 centimeters in diameter is used to beat the perpetrator, sometimes for drug offenses. For the crime of trafficking cannabis, the death penalty is mandatory.
Thanks to activists like Kokila Annamalai, we know when severe injustices amid the War on Drugs take place in the farthest stretches of the globe. People like Annamalai are tired of executions for drug-related crimes, especially when it involves cannabis and other harmless crimes.
“We have confirmation that a 49-year-old Singaporean Malay man was executed today, 26 July, at Changi Prison,” Annamalai tweeted. “He has lived in prison since 2015, after being convicted of trafficking in cannabis (marijuana). He was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty.”
We have confirmation that a 49 year-old Singaporean Malay man was executed today, 26 July, at Changi Prison. He has lived in prison since 2015, after being convicted of trafficking in cannabis (marijuana). He was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty.
— Kokila Annamalai (@Kokilaparvathi) July 26, 2022
Activists say racism is part of the equation, as the region is allegedly prone to racially-biased decisions during the legal process. The 49-year-old Malay man executed for cannabis trafficking