Source: Amnesty International –
Responding to the news that Singapore authorities executed a man for a drug-related offence on Friday, Amnesty International’s Acting Deputy Regional Director for Research Kate Schuetze said:
“Azwan bin Bohari’s execution was clearly unlawful under international law and standards. It is especially concerning that this hanging took place in spite of a pending legal application.
“Executing people while they have ongoing appeals before the courts is a violation of international safeguards protecting the rights of people facing the death penalty. This execution calls into serious question the protections in the Singapore justice system to prevent the arbitrary deprivation of life.
“With numerous others on death row, coupled with Singapore’s pursuit of executions even when there are appeals pending, there are grave fears that many more are at imminent risk of hanging. Most have been sentenced to death for drug-related offences in violation of restrictions limiting the death penalty’s use to ‘the most serious crimes’.
“We urge the Singapore government to immediately end its unlawful resort to the death penalty and immediately establish a moratorium on executions as a first critical step towards abolition. The majority of the world’s countries have already abolished the death penalty in full and several governments in the Asia-Pacific region have taken steps in that direction. It is high time Singapore followed suit.”