Singapore has executed three men for drug trafficking within a two-day period, raising the country’s total number of executions this year to 17. This marks Singapore’s highest annual figure since 2003.
The latest executions came just days before the country’s top court is set to hear a major constitutional challenge against the mandatory death penalty for drug offences.
Singapore enforces some of the toughest drug laws in the world. The government says these strict measures are needed to curb drug crime in the region. Under Singapore’s laws, anyone found guilty of trafficking more than 15g of diamorphine, 30g of cocaine, 250g of methamphetamine or 500g of cannabis must receive a death sentence.
A group of seven activists has taken the case to court, arguing that the mandatory death penalty violates the constitutional right to life and equal protection. The constitution states that no one should be deprived of life or personal liberty except in line with the law.
Local rights group Transformative Justice Collective condemned the executions, saying, “Singapore’s barbaric drug control regime is increasingly alone on the world stage.” The group noted that only a few countries still carry out executions for drug crimes.
Singapore’s Home Affairs Minister, K Shanmugam, has repeatedly defended the country’s position. In an earlier statement on Facebook, he warned that scrapping the death penalty would have more harmful effects. He wrote, “As policy makers, we set aside our personal feelings, and do what is necessary to protect the majority of people. We cannot be at peace with ourselves if we take a step which leads to many more innocent people dying in Singapore.”
One of the men executed last week was Malaysian driver Saminathan Selvaraju. He was convicted of transporting more than 301g of heroin into Singapore on 21 November 2013. Saminathan maintained his innocence, claiming that other drivers also used the same company trailer and that he was not the one who brought the drugs into the country.
Investigators, however, found pre-filled immigration cards with his signature in the vehicle, including one with the Singapore address where the drugs were later discovered. The trial judge rejected his defence, and he was hanged on Thursday.
Saminathan had been involved in several legal challenges over the years, including a constitutional case filed with three other death row inmates in 2022. The petition questioned parts of the drug law that presume guilt in certain situations, such as when someone is found with drug quantities above set limits or holds keys to a location where drugs are found. The court dismissed the challenge in August, saying the laws were crafted to tackle a major threat to society.
He and the other prisoners also sent a plea for clemency to Singapore’s president in September. It was denied, as is common in most death penalty appeals.
While Singapore also imposes capital punishment for murder and kidnapping, its drug-related executions attract the most criticism. Opponents argue that the punishment mainly targets low-level couriers from poorer backgrounds rather than drug kingpins.
Lawyer Mervyn Cheong, who has represented several death row inmates, questioned the severity. He said he struggles to “reconcile why mandatory death sentences must apply to murder or certain drug-related offences, when perpetrators of more egregious international crimes do not face the same penalty.” He pointed out that under the Rome Statute, which guides the International Criminal Court, the maximum punishment for crimes like genocide or war crimes is life imprisonment.
The European Union’s delegation in Singapore also criticised the executions, calling them a “significant increase in the use of capital punishment.” It stated that drug offences do not meet the global standard of the “most serious crimes” and argued that execution removes any chance of rehabilitation.
Singapore’s government maintains that the death penalty is applied only to offences that cause the greatest harm to society. A 2023 government survey found that 69 percent of 2,000 citizens and permanent residents believed the death penalty was an appropriate punishment for major drug trafficking cases.
