Despite international appeals, a suspected drug smuggler has been executed in Singapore. Tangaraju Suppiah was hanged on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections told AFP.
The 46-year-old was arrested for allegedly dealing in a kilogram of cannabis. Singapore has one of the toughest anti-drug laws in the world. Smuggling more than 500 grams of cannabis is already punishable by the death penalty.
The UN criticized the death sentence on Tuesday and called on the authorities to stop the execution. British billionaire Richard Branson also campaigned for Tangaraju.
Branson, who is also a member of the Geneva-based World Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP), said he was not even “near” the drugs when he was arrested. Tangaraju’s family had also pleaded for clemency and called for the case to be re-examined.
After a hiatus of more than two years, the island nation resumed carrying out the death penalty in March 2022. Wednesday’s scheduled execution would be the first in six months and the 12th in a year. (AFP)
