New Delhi: A 46-year-old Indian-origin man was executed in Singapore on Wednesday after being convicted in a drug trafficking case.
The man has been identified as Tangaraju Suppiah.
Despite several pleas for clemency from his family and activists, Suppiah was hanged for abetting the trafficking of more than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cannabis in 2013.
Singapore, known for its strict stance against narcotics, considers the trafficking of over 500 grams of drugs a capital offence.
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Suppiah’s family representative, Kokila Annamalai, confirmed the execution, stating that the president had rejected pleas for clemency.
While the Singapore government has not yet commented on the execution, British billionaire Richard Branson, a vocal critic of capital punishment, stated that Suppiah’s conviction did not meet criminal conviction standards as he was not near the drugs when he was arrested.
However, the Singapore government dismissed Branson’s claims as false and a disrespectful challenge to the country’s justice system.
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The government emphasized that the case had been thoroughly examined by Singapore’s courts over three years, and Branson’s statement was patently untrue.
Additionally, the United Nations Office for Human Rights had called on Singapore to not proceed with Suppiah’s execution and urged the country to adopt a formal moratorium on executions for drug-related offences.
Singapore, which maintains that the death penalty is an effective deterrent against drugs, has executed eleven people in the past year, and the policy enjoys widespread support among its citizens.