(CMR) Singapore executed a woman for the first time in 19 years on Friday, 28 July, the second death by hanging in a week for convicted drug traffickers.
Saridewi Djamani (45) was sentenced to death in 2018 for trafficking nearly 31 grams or 1 ounce of pure heroin. According to the Associated Press, the Central Narcotics Bureau in Singapore described the amount as “sufficient to feed the addiction of about 370 abusers for a week.”
Two days before Djamani's execution, Mohammed Aziz Hussain (56) was executed by hanging for trafficking approximately 50 grams of heroin. Another drug trafficker is set to be executed next week, the Associated Press reported.
Several human rights groups have been calling for Singapore to end capital punishment for drug-related crimes; however, Singapore continues to mandate the death penalty for anyone convicted of trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis and 15 grams of heroin.
According to the Central Narcotics Bureau, both Djamani and Hussain were given due process, which includes appeals of their conviction and sentence and petition for clemency.
The last time a woman was hanged in Singapore was in 2004, when 36-year-old hairdresser Yen May Woen was executed for drug trafficking.
AP reported that human rights groups, international activists, and the United Nations have urged Singapore to halt executions for drug offenses, stating that there is increasing evidence it is ineffective as a deterrent. Singapore authorities insist capital punishment is important to halting drug demand and supply.
Singapore has reportedly executed 15 people for drug offenses since it resumed hangings in March 2022, an average of one a month.
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