Singapore hangs man for trafficking marijuana despite claims of weak evidence

Singapore executed a 46-year-old man Wednesday after he was accused of coordinating a roughly two-pound marijuana delivery, despite pleas for clemency and protests that he was convicted on weak evidence.

Tangaraju Suppiah was hanged during the early morning hours in Changi Prison, Singapore Prison Service said in a statement to multiple outlets.

Despite not being caught with the drugs, Tangaraju was found guilty and sentenced to death in October 2018 for abetting the trafficking of 2.2 pounds of cannabis. Prosecutors in the Asian island-state said he conspired with another man to deliver the marijuana.

Tangaraju maintained he was innocent, his sister told CNN.

“Even from inside prison, he wanted to fight for his innocence,” Leelavathy Suppiah told the outlet. “He believed that there would be a fair trial and wanted to prove his innocence – every step of the way.”

Trafficking more than 1.2 pounds of marijuana is grounds for the death penalty, under Singaporean law.

According to a tweet from activist Kirsten Han of the Transformative Justice Collective, which advocates abolishing the death penalty in Singapore, Tangaraju's family was given the death certificate after the morning hanging.

An application filed Monday by Tangaraju for a stay of execution was dismissed by a local court without an oral hearing, the group reported.

Attempts by family and activists to push Singapore President Halimah Yacob to grant the man clemency were unsuccessful.

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Prosecutors said phone numbers traced him as the person responsible for coordinating the delivery of the drugs even though he was not caught with them. Tangaraju had maintained that he was not the one communicating with the others connected to the case.

UN speaks out on case

"We urge the government not to proceed with the imminent hanging of Tangaraju Suppiah. Imposing the death penalty for drug offences is incompatible with international norms & standards,"  United Nations Human Rights (UNHR) tweeted before the execution.

During a UNHR briefing prior to the execution, Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the Switzerland-based office, called on the Singapore government to adopt a “formal moratorium” on executions for drug-related offenses.

“Imposing the death penalty for drug offenses is incompatible with international norms and standards,” Shamdasani said.

Singapore authorities say there is a deterrent effect of the death penalty, citing studies that traffickers carry amounts below the threshold that would bring a death penalty.

Death penalty imposition for drugs in Singapore varies drastically from nearby countries. In Thailand, cannabis has essentially been legalized, and Malaysia has ended the mandatory death penalty for serious crimes.

Country's first execution in six months

Tangaraju's death marked Singapore’s first execution in six months.

The country executed 11 people last year for drug offenses. One case involved  a Malaysian man whose lawyers said he was mentally disabled.

The Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, a regional network of organizations and individuals committed to working towards abolishing the death penalty in the Asia Pacific, decried Tangaraju’s execution.

“The continued use of the death penalty by the Singaporean government is an act of flagrant disregard for international human rights norms and casts aspersion on the legitimacy of Singapore’s criminal justice system,” the group said in a statement.

Contributing: The Associated Press.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Singapore drug execution: Tangaraju Suppiah hanged for marijuana