Tangaraju Suppiah is Hanged in Singapore for 1 Kg of Cannabis
The execution took place despite a plea by the United Nations Human Rights Office for Singapore to "urgently reconsider" the hanging and calls by British tycoon Richard Branson to halt it.
Singapore executed Tangaraju Suppiah, a prisoner, on Wednesday, for conspiring to smuggle 1 Kilogram of cannabis.
Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was convicted of “abetting by engaging in a conspiracy to traffic" 1 Kilogram of cannabis from Malaysia to Singapore in 2013.
The United Nations Human Rights Office had requested Singapore to “urgently reconsider” the hanging.
Sir Richard Branson who is a member of the Geneva-based Global Commission on Drug Policy wrote on his blog on Monday that Tangaraju was not found anywhere near the drugs and that Singapore may put an innocent man to death.
The Singapore government however got back saying that they were confident that Tangaraju was guilty beyond doubt and they had taken steps “effective in keeping Singapore safe and secure.”
Singapore’s Home Affairs Ministry also accused Richard Branson of “disrespect for Singapore's judges and our criminal justice system.”
Ironically, Tangaraju Suppiah was not found with the drugs. Prosecutors said that though he was not found physically with the drugs he coordinated the delivery.
Two numbers used while coordinating the delivery belonged to Tangaraju.
He was sentenced to death in 2018 however the Court of Appeal upheld the decision. His family pleaded for Clemency.
Singapore is known to have the world’s toughest anti narcotic laws. The authorities strictly believe that capital punishment is the only way to curb drug trafficking though UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights believe otherwise.
The OHCHR said in a statement on Tuesday, “The death penalty is still being used in a small number of countries, largely because of the myth that it deters crime.”
Earlier Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam's execution in Singapore sparked a global outcry. Many foreign organizations and activists requested the Singapore government to change the punishment to life sentence on the grounds that Nagaenthran was mentally unstable. The government however went ahead with Nagaenthran's execution in November 2010.