Singaporean man gets hanging execution over 2 lbs. of cannabis
A 46-year-old man was hanged in Singapore for his role in a 2 lb. cannabis delivery.
The family of Tangaraju Suppiah was presented with his death certificate following Wednesday’s execution, according to anti-death penalty activists. He was sentenced to death in 2018 despite protests he never possessed the kilogram of cannabis in question.
Prosecutors argued phone numbers connected him to an attempted drug delivery. The defendant insisted he was not involved in coordinating that transaction.
“Imposing the death penalty for drug offences is incompatible with international norms and standards,” United Nations Human Rights representative Ravina Shamdasani said after Tangaraju’s hanging.
Trafficking more than 1.1 pounds of cannabis is punishable by death in Singapore. Officials in the southeast Asian country contend that harsh penalties for larger amounts of narcotics minimize the quantities drug dealers handle.
Critics argue such laws only punish lowly drug mules working for crime syndicates.
Eleven people — including a man whose lawyers argued had an IQ of 69 — were executed in Singapore for drug offenses in 2022.
Tangaraju filed a stay of execution appeal Monday. It was dismissed without a hearing. He was the first Singaporean executed for a drug offense this year, according to Barron’s.
Among those calling for Tangaraju’s stay of execution was British billionaire Richard Branson, who tweeted concerns that Singapore may kill an innocent man.
“The case is particularly shocking, given the defendant was not anywhere near the drugs in question at the time of his arrest,” he wrote. “Singapore is such a wonderful country, so it’s sad to see some of its social policies harking back to colonisim, and reminiscient of medieval times.”
Singaporean officials accused Branson of showing “disrespect for Singapore’s judges and our criminal justice system.”
With News Wire Services
