Singapore’s death row ‘main element of its drug policy’
Al Jazeera
23-05-16 01:57
Singapore has sentenced many prisoners to death for drug-related offences, leading some human rights experts to question racial and ethnic preferences in the country's application of the punishment. There are reportedly 54 people on Singapore's death row, and campaigners warn that many are from ethnic minority backgrounds. Prison authorities in Singapore do not provide details of offences that result in the death penalty, but the Transformative Justice Collective and the Capital Punishment Justice Project suggest that all but three inmates on Singapore's death row have been sentenced for drug trafficking. The Singaporean government has defended the use of the death penalty, saying it is “an essential component” of the country’s justice system. Such insistence has drawn international scrutiny to Singapore's use of the death penalty, specifically related to drug offences. The United Nations says that, if retained, capital punishment should only be used for the most serious crimes.