Singapore to resume executions for first time in 6 months, execute man over drug trafficking

Singapore, April 25 : As Singapore is set to resume executions for the first time in six months, a 46-year-old man, who was sentenced to death for abetting attempted drug trafficking will be executed on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported.

A Singaporean man named Tangaraju Suppiah was reportedly given the death penalty in 2018 for assisting in the attempted trafficking of just over one kilogramme (1,017.9 grammes) of marijuana.

He was using a phone number, a judge discovered, that was being used by traffickers trying to transport drugs into Singapore, according to Al Jazeera.

The prisoner was allegedly not given sufficient legal representation, according to Tangaraju's family and opponents of the death penalty who have criticised the way the case was handled by the authorities.

Additionally, they claim that Tangaraju was denied access to a Tamil interpreter while he was the subject of a police investigation.

Tangaraju was first detained by police in 2014 for drug consumption and failing to report for a urine test. Leelavathy, the sister of Tangaraju said he started using drugs after being offered them by older friends in his neighbourhood.

While on remand in 2014, police investigated Tangaraju for suspected links to a cannabis trafficking case from the previous year involving two smugglers.

"He was never given any support or tools to understand or cope with his habits or find any help for his dependence on drugs. He's never received counselling or therapy, or even education about drugs. He's only been punished his whole life," she said, according to Al Jazeera.

The hanging of Tangaraju is expected to be the year's first in Singapore. Singapore's steadfast adherence to its zero-tolerance drug policy stands in stark contrast to some of the region's neighbours who have loosened their drug laws, reported Al Jazeera.

Thailand legalised the cultivation and possession of cannabis last year after removing it from its list of prohibited drugs.

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