CHANGI, Singapore – Singapore has executed Tangaraju Suppiah, a 46-year-old man convicted of conspiring to traffic 1kg (35oz) of cannabis, in spite of calls for clemency from his family, activists, and the United Nations.
Suppiah was hanged at dawn on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, after authorities maintained that he had received a fair trial and dismissed concerns about the court proceedings.
Critics of the case argued that Suppiah’s conviction was based on weak evidence and that he had limited access to legal representation during the prosecution.
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His family, who were present at Changi Prison to receive his body, expressed their distress and lingering questions about the case. “It has been such a harrowing experience for them,” said Kirsten Han, an anti-death penalty activist.
Singapore’s strict anti-drug laws and use of capital punishment have increasingly set it apart from other nations, including regional neighbors like Malaysia, which abolished mandatory death penalties earlier this month. Cannabis has been decriminalized in various parts of the world, including nearby Thailand, where its trade is even encouraged.
Local activist group the Transformative Justice Collective highlighted this disparity: “It is just illogical to know that countries nearby are enjoying cannabis in food and beverages, and using it for its medical benefits, while our country is executing people for the very same substance.”
Supporters of Suppiah had petitioned Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob for a reprieve, and Sir Richard Branson, a British activist billionaire, also called for a case review.
The UN’s Human Rights Office also urged Singapore to “urgently reconsider” the execution, citing that the death penalty violated international norms. Suppiah was convicted in 2013 for his alleged involvement in coordinating the trafficking of cannabis from Malaysia to Singapore, although he was not found with the drugs or present during the delivery.
