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Singapore carries out three drug-related executions in one week
Singapore executed three individuals for drug trafficking last week, bringing the total number of hangings this year to 17-the highest annual figure since 2003-amid an upcoming constitutional challenge to the mandatory death penalty for narcotics offenses.
Legal framework and government stance
Under Singapore's strict anti-drug laws, trafficking more than 15 grams of diamorphine (heroin), 30 grams of cocaine, 250 grams of methamphetamine, or 500 grams of cannabis triggers an automatic death sentence. Authorities argue these measures are essential to deter drug-related crime, which they describe as a regional scourge.
Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam defended the policy in January, stating that removing capital punishment could lead to "more serious crime, violence, [and] drug-related deaths," including fatalities among children. "We cannot be at peace with ourselves if we take a step which leads to many more innocent people dying," he wrote in a Facebook post.
Constitutional challenge and activist criticism
A group of seven activists has filed a legal challenge, arguing that mandatory executions violate constitutional protections for life and equal treatment under the law. The Transformative Justice Collective, a local advocacy group, condemned the policy as "barbaric," noting Singapore's isolation among nations still enforcing capital punishment for drug crimes.
"Singapore's drug control regime is increasingly alone on the world stage."
Transformative Justice Collective
Case of Saminathan Selvaraju
Among those executed was Saminathan Selvaraju, a Malaysian logistics driver convicted of transporting 301.6 grams of heroin from Malaysia to Singapore in November 2013. He maintained his innocence, claiming he had not driven the company trailer when the drugs were smuggled and that multiple drivers used the same vehicle. Investigators found pre-signed immigration cards with his signature and the address where the drugs were later discovered, but Saminathan insisted he did not write them.
The court rejected his defense, and he was hanged on Thursday. Over the years, Saminathan had joined multiple legal challenges, including a 2022 constitutional appeal against presumptions in drug laws-such as the automatic assumption of trafficking if narcotics exceed threshold quantities, unless the accused proves otherwise. Singapore's highest court dismissed the appeal in August, upholding the law as a necessary deterrent.
Broader criticism and international response
Critics argue the policy disproportionately targets low-level couriers from marginalized communities while failing to dismantle larger trafficking networks. Lawyer Mervyn Cheong, who has represented death row inmates, questioned the disparity: "It's challenging to reconcile mandatory death sentences for drug offenses when perpetrators of egregious international crimes-like genocide-face life imprisonment under the Rome Statute."
The European Union's delegation to Singapore condemned the executions as a "significant increase in capital punishment," asserting that drug offenses do not meet the threshold of "most serious crimes" under international law. The Singapore government counters that the death penalty has contributed to its status as one of the world's safest countries, reserving it for offenses causing "the most serious harms."
Public opinion and upcoming legal battle
A 2023 government-commissioned survey found 69% of 2,000 polled citizens and permanent residents supported the death penalty for significant drug trafficking. The constitutional challenge, set for hearing next week, will test whether mandatory executions violate fundamental rights-a decision with potential ramifications for Singapore's legal and human rights landscape.
