“The government has a duty to protect human rights for all, and its use of the death penalty is a blatant violation of human rights. In fact, the UN Common Position on drugs has always been to urge governments to shift away from punitive responses because of their ineffectiveness in reducing drug trafficking or in addressing the use and supply of drugs.” “Contrary to what the Singaporean authorities have claimed, both the UNODC and the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) – the UN bodies tasked with crime prevention and drug policy – have condemned the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences and have urged governments to move towards abolition. Last week, in a media interview, Minister of Law K Shanmugam publicly defended the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences in Singapore, citing the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) recognition of problems caused by drugs in Southeast Asia. His application for a last minute stay, which asked for a review on the decision not to issue him with a certificate, was rejected by the Court of Appeal a day before the execution. He was then sentenced by the court to the mandatory death penalty. Emerlynne Gil, Deputy Regional Director for Researchĭespite the court finding that his role was limited to the transportation of drugs, Kalwant was denied a certificate of substantive assistance by the prosecution. The death penalty is never the solution and we oppose it unconditionally. There is no evidence that it acts as a unique deterrent to crime.” “Going against a worldwide trend towards abolishing the death penalty, Singapore is just one of four countries known to have executed people for drug-related offenses in recent years. “Singapore has once again executed people convicted of drug-related offenses in violation of international law, callously disregarding public outcry.” Responding to the execution of Malaysian national Kalwant Singh in Singapore, together with that of another man, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Research Emerlynne Gil said: News JSingapore: End wave of hangings and immediately impose moratorium on executions
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