Another prisoner found guilty of narcotics trafficking was executed in Singapore, the country's third such execution in a span of just two weeks. Despite requests from a number of sources encouraging the city-state to reevaluate the death penalty for drug-related crimes, the execution went ahead as planned.
Mohamed Shalleh Abdul Latiff, a Singaporean who was 39 years old, was the most recent death penalty prisoner and was executed at Changi Prison. The Central Narcotics Bureau determined that the 54 grams (1.9 ounces) of heroin that he was found guilty of trafficking was sufficient to meet the addiction needs of around 640 abusers for a week.
Prior to his 2016 arrest, Shalleh, a Malay man of ethnicity, worked as a delivery driver. He was given a death sentence in 2019, and the conviction was upheld last year despite his appeal. Shalleh allegedly insisted throughout his trial that he thought he was delivering illegal smokes for a buddy to whom he owed money. According to The Transformative Justice Collective, Shalleh did not check the bag's contents because he trusted his friend and instead maintained this belief throughout his trial.
Shalleh was only serving as a courier, but the High Court judge determined that their relationship wasn't close enough to justify such trust. Despite this, Shalleh was nevertheless given the required death sentence because the prosecution did not provide him with a certificate of cooperation.
According to Singaporean legislation, anyone found guilty of trafficking more than 500 grams (17.6 ounces) of cannabis or 15 grams (0.5 ounces) of heroin will be executed.
After a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore reinstated the death penalty in March 2022. Shalleh's execution is the fifth this year and the 16th for drug offenses.
Two more people of Singapore were put to death last week. After being found guilty of trafficking around 31 grams (about one ounce) of heroin, Saridewi Djamani, 45, became the first woman to be hanged in 19 years. For trafficking roughly 50 grams (1.75 ounces) of heroin, Mohammed Aziz Hussain, 56, was hung two days prior.
Multiple human rights organizations, international advocates, and the United Nations have urged Singapore to stop carrying out executions for drug-related offenses since there is mounting evidence that such punishments are ineffective deterrents. Authorities in Singapore still insist that the death penalty is essential for reducing drug demand and supply.
Critics claim that Singapore's strict policies unfairly harm low-level traffickers and couriers, who are frequently hired from vulnerable underprivileged areas. They also note that Singapore is out of line with the growing trend of other nations abandoning the death penalty, with Malaysia abolishing the mandatory death penalty for major offenses this year and nearby Thailand legalizing cannabis.
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