Singapore executes man over 1kg of cannabis

Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, had maintained his innocence since being sentenced to death in 2018

A photo of Tangaraju Suppiah is surrounded by candles during a vigil for him at a private office in Singapore, on Wednesday - the day of his execution. EPA

Singapore on Wednesday executed a man for conspiring to traffic cannabis despite widespread appeals to commute the death sentence.

Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was hanged at dawn after being sentenced to death in 2018 for abetting the trafficking of 1kg of cannabis.

The UN Human Rights Office for Singapore had urged authorities to "urgently reconsider" and British billionaire Richard Branson also called for his life to be spared.

Under Singapore laws, trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis may result in the death penalty.

The country has some of the world's toughest anti-drug laws, and executed 11 people last year for drug offences.

Singapore was criticised over the execution of Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, an intellectually disabled man who was put to death over 44 grams of heroin.

Mr Nagaenthran's case attracted world attention, with a group of UN experts and Mr Branson joining Malaysia's prime minister and human rights activists to urge Singapore to commute his sentence.

Activists from a local collective campaigning to abolish the death penalty said Mr Tangaraju's family were given the death certificate following his execution.

Although Mr Tangaraju was not caught with the cannabis, prosecutors said phone numbers traced him as the person responsible for co-ordinating the delivery of the drugs. Mr Tangaraju had maintained that he was not the one communicating with the others connected to the case.

At a UN Human Rights briefing on Tuesday, spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani called on the Singapore government to adopt a “formal moratorium” on executions for drug-related offences.

“Imposing the death penalty for drug offences is incompatible with international norms and standards,” said Ms Shamdasani, who added that increasing evidence shows the death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent.

The government says capital punishment is a deterrent for committing drug offences and is supported by most of its citizens.

Neighbouring Malaysia abolished mandatory death penalties last month, ruling they were ineffective in deterring crime.