Human rights advocates have criticized the execution method of hanging the lady, who was found guilty of importing drugs into Singapore. As more people asserted that the death penalty is ineffective in discouraging drug trafficking, the discussion surrounding Singapore’s death penalty heated up. Alternative strategies, like rehabilitation and education, may be more effective in addressing the underlying causes of drug-related crimes, according to critics. In order to maintain fairness and justice, some people have voiced worries about the possibility of false convictions and asked for a comprehensive reform of the judicial system in the nation. The episode has sparked debates in the nation over the efficacy and morality of the death penalty, with some advocating for its repeal and others supporting its continued application as a deterrent against drug-related crimes.
Who Is Saridewi Binte Djamani? Singapore’s death penalty for drug trafficking
After Singapore executed a woman for the first time in 19 years on Friday, July 28, the country’s use of the death sentence for drug trafficking became the subject of an online discussion. On June 17, 2016, Saridewi Binte Djamani, 45, and her accomplice were detained for smuggling roughly 1 kilogramme of drugs, of which 31 grammes contained heroin. In 2018, she was given the death penalty for the crime she committed. Some internet users criticised Singapore’s strict regulations against drug use and trafficking, while others said that such acts should be punished because drug trafficking is ultimately bad for society.
Two days before Saridewi’s death, another Singaporean, 56-year-old Mohammed Aziz Hussain, was also hanged in Changi Prison in Singapore for narcotics trafficking. Prior to Saridewi, the last woman to be executed for drug trafficking did so in 2004. She went by the name of Yen May Women and worked as a hairdresser. A news source, Jamaica Gleaner, claimed that Singapore carried out Saridewi’s execution despite requests for the nation to do away with the death penalty for drug-related offences. Many online users responded to the news in the post’s comments section.
Transformative Justice Collective, Amnesty International, and UN Human Rights are just a few of the organisations that have condemned this draconian form of capital punishment and asked the city-state to stop carrying out executions for drug-related offences. They put light on data that indicates executions don’t work as a deterrence. Human rights organisations reported that since resuming executions in March 2022, Singapore had hanged a total of 15 people for drug offences. Authorities in Singapore countered that it is crucial to implement death sentences in order to reduce drug demand and production. In response to @amnesty’s tweet about the same, several online users supported the death penalty for drug offences.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education