They’re not messing around. These are people who will probably chop your arm off if you steal a candy bar.
The government's tough stance on drug offenses is well-known, and offenders caught in possession or trafficking of drugs often face harsh penalties, including lengthy prison terms and even the death penalty.
However, in recent days, a case has emerged that has raised questions about the country's justice system and whether it has gone too far in punishing an individual who may be innocent.
Let’s put it this way, the case against him is very weak.
The case involves Tangaraju, a Malaysian national who has been in Singapore's custody since 2014.
Tangaraju was initially arrested for drug consumption and for failing to show up for drug tests.
While in remand, authorities identified Tangaraju as a potential suspect in a cannabis trafficking case that took place in September 2013. Despite his denials of involvement in the transaction, a court ruling found him guilty of abetting the trafficking attempt, based on the evidence that a phone number used to coordinate the drug delivery belonged to him. The sentence? Death by hanging.
Vice reported that Singapore is set to hang a man next week for conspiring to traffic one kilogram of cannabis, in what is believed to be the country’s first execution in six months. The case has sparked renewed debate about capital punishment in the Southeast Asian city-state, with activists expressing concern about the fairness of the man’s trial and conviction.
Tangaraju Suppiah, the 46-year-old death row inmate scheduled to face the gallows, was sentenced to death for abetting an attempt to traffic one kilogram of cannabis, according to a 2018 judgment on his case.
In a letter delivered on Wednesday to Tangaraju’s sister, Leelavathy, prison authorities announced he will be executed on April 26.
11 men were hanged for drug offenses in Singapore last year, according to the Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), a local anti-death penalty advocacy group. The executions proceeded despite widespread criticism of the city-state’s approach to capital punishment, which activists and international rights groups have slammed as inhumane.
The impending execution of Tangaraju in Singapore for a crime he may not have committed is a stark reminder of how the country's tough stance on drug offenses may be going too far… this time.
