The city-state of Singapore has hanged a drug trafficker named Rosman Abdullah on November 22. As per reports, the hanging of 55-year-old Abdullah is the third death penalty for drug convicts carried out in Singapore this week. There was a UN appeal seeking clemency for Abdullah, but the government of Singapore chose to proceed with the hanging.
Rosman Abdullah was sentenced to death for carrying 57.43 grams of heroin into Singapore. The Central Narcotics Bureau stated that Rosman Abdullah was accorded full due process under the law, and was represented by legal counsel throughout the process.
Singapore has very strict laws against drug offences. Along with China and North Korea, it is one of the very few countries that imposes the death penalty for drug-related offences. In Singapore law, anyone found carrying more than 500 grams of cannabis, or 15 grams of heroin is given the mandatory capital punishment.
Just 1 week back, Singapore had hanged 2 more drug convicts, a 39-year-old Malaysian and a 53-year-old Singaporean for similar offences. The UN Human Rights Commission had appealed for clemency, claiming that capital punishment does little to prevent drug crimes.
Singapore has executed 8 convicts in 2024, and 24 since the covid restrictions were lifted on March 2022. Rosman Abdullah was sentenced in 2010 and for all these years, was under the appeals process. The appeals, including seeking clemency from the president, were all rejected.
