Singapore, a Southeast Asian city-state, has recently carried out its third execution of a convicted drug trafficker in a week, despite appeals for clemency from the United Nations. The latest execution was of 55-year-old Singaporean Rosman Abdullah, who was convicted of trafficking 57.43 grams of heroin. The Central Narcotics Bureau stated that Rosman had received full due process under the law and had legal representation throughout the process.
The United Nations experts had called on Singaporean authorities to spare Rosman, expressing concerns about his intellectual disabilities and lack of proper accommodations during his interrogation and trial. Amnesty International also condemned Rosman’s execution as chilling and extremely alarming.
Despite being a modern city-state and international business hub, Singapore is one of the few countries that impose the death penalty for drug offences, along with countries like China and North Korea. Under Singaporean law, anyone trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis or 15 grams of heroin faces mandatory capital punishment.
Since resuming executions in March 2022 after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore has carried out 24 executions, including eight this year. The government has defended the death penalty as a deterrent against drug abuse, citing public support for the law.
The recent executions in Singapore have sparked international outrage and renewed debates about the ethics and effectiveness of the death penalty, particularly in cases involving drug offences.
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