Tangaraju Suppiah: Singapore executes man for supplying cannabis

Singapore has executed a antheral for conspiring to postulation cannabis contempt pleas for clemency from his family, activists and the United Nations.

Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was hanged astatine dawn connected Wednesday implicit a crippled to smuggle 1kg (35oz) of cannabis.

Activists said helium had been convicted connected anemic grounds and received constricted ineligible entree during his prosecution.

But Singapore authorities said helium had been fixed a just proceedings and criticised those who questioned the courts.

Singapore has immoderate of the world's toughest anti-drug laws. It argues these are a indispensable deterrent to cause transgression which is simply a large contented elsewhere crossed South-East Asia.

On Wednesday, Tangaraju Suppiah's household gathered astatine Changi Prison adjacent the city's airdrome successful the eastbound to person his body.

"The household said they weren't going to springiness up connected him until close until to the end," anti-death punishment activistic Kirsten Han told the BBC.

"They inactive person a batch of unresolved questions astir his case, and the grounds against him. It has been specified a harrowing acquisition for them."

The nation's stringent cause laws and usage of superior punishment enactment it progressively astatine likelihood with precocious nations and others successful the region, activists say.

Singapore's neighbour Malaysia abolished mandatory decease penalties earlier this month, saying it was not an effectual deterrent to crime.

Meanwhile cannabis has been decriminalised successful galore parts of the satellite - including successful neighbouring Thailand, wherever its commercialized is encouraged.

"It is conscionable illogical to cognize that countries adjacent are enjoying cannabis successful nutrient and beverages, and utilizing it for its aesculapian benefits, portion our state is executing radical for the precise aforesaid substance," section activistic radical the Transformative Justice Collective said.

Singapore's courts connected Tuesday had rejected a last-minute entreaty from Tangaraju Suppiah's household against his 2018 conviction.

Supporters had besides petitioned Singapore's President Halimah Yacob for a reprieve, portion British activistic billionaire Sir Richard Branson added his dependable to those calling for a lawsuit review.

The UN's Human Rights Office had connected Tuesday besides called connected Singapore to "urgently reconsider" the execution, saying the decease punishment violated planetary norms.

Tangaraju Suppiah had been convicted of "abetting by engaging successful a conspiracy to traffic" astir 1kg (35oz) of cannabis from Malaysia to Singapore successful 2013.

He was not recovered with the drugs oregon during the delivery. But prosecutors said helium had been liable for co-ordinating it, and they traced 2 telephone numbers utilized by a deliveryman backmost to him.

Tangaraju denied his engagement - and said helium had not been the idiosyncratic communicating with the deliveryman. He said helium had mislaid 1 of the phones and denied owning the 2nd one.

Singapore's instrumentality mandates the decease punishment for those blameworthy of trafficking narcotics - including cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and ketamine - beyond a definite quantity.

Convicted traffickers who tin beryllium that they were lone couriers whitethorn beryllium capable to debar the decease penalty. Drug possession and depletion gully lesser punishments including situation and fines.

In Tangaraju Suppiah's past appeal, the justice agreed with the prosecution that helium had been liable for co-ordinating the delivery, which made him ineligible for a much lenient sentence.

Activists had raised concerns that helium had not been fixed capable entree to a Tamil interpreter and had been forced to correspond himself astatine his past entreaty due to the fact that his household was incapable to unafraid a lawyer.

Singapore authorities accidental helium requested an interpreter lone during the trial, and not earlier. They besides said helium had entree to ineligible counsel passim the process.

Sir Richard, who had antecedently criticised the 2022 execution of intellectually impaired Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, said the latest lawsuit was "shocking connected aggregate levels".

In a blog station connected Monday, helium said Singapore "may beryllium astir to termination an guiltless man" connected the backmost of "more than dubious circumstances".

Rebutting his allegations, Singapore's Home Affairs Ministry accused him of "disrespect for Singapore's judges and our transgression justness system".

It said the decease punishment was "an indispensable component" successful a multi-pronged attack that had been "effective successful keeping Singapore harmless and secure".

Tangaraju Suppiah's lawsuit marked the country's archetypal execution this year.

It is besides considered a "high application" country, wherever astatine slightest 10 executions person been carried retired successful the past 5 years.

The US and South Korea are the lone 2 OECD subordinate countries that person retained the decease punishment for cause offences, but they person not carried retired specified executions successful the past 5 years, according to HRI.