Singapore executes fifth drug trafficker since March

Agence France-Presse 

<div class='embed-wrap'><figure data-feedback='fb:likes,fb:comments'><img alt='Activists hold candles during a candlelight vigil against the impending execution of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, who was convicted of a drug offense 10 years ago in Singapore but diagnosed as intellectually disabled, outside the Singaporean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Nov. 8, 2021. Fazry Ismail, EPA-EFE/File' src='https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/03/30/20220330-activists-hold-candles-malaysia-epa-efe.jpg' ><figcaption>Activists hold candles during a candlelight vigil against the impending execution of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, who was convicted of a drug offense 10 years ago in Singapore but diagnosed as intellectually disabled, outside the Singaporean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Nov. 8, 2021. Fazry Ismail, EPA-EFE/File</figcaption></figure></div> SINGAPORE — Singapore hanged a convicted drug trafficker on Friday, the fifth execution in the city-state since March, after a court rejected a last-ditch appeal and despite pleas for clemency. The spate of hangings -- which included the widely criticized execution of a mentally disabled man in April -- has prompted growing calls for Singapore to abolish the death penalty. But the city-state, which has some of the world's toughest anti-drugs laws, insists it remains an effective deterrent against trafficking.On Friday, Singaporean man Nazeri Lajim was executed in prison, the prisons service said in a statement to AFP.The 64-year-old was convicted in 2017 of possessing over 33 grams of heroin "for the purpose of trafficking", Singapore's drug enforcement agency said. This was enough "to feed the addiction of about 400 abusers for a week", it added. An appeals court on Thursday rejected a last-gasp plea, in which Nazeri appeared via video link, to stay the execution. Prominent local rights campaigner Kirsten Han told AFP that Nazeri had spent most of his life struggling with drug dependency, starting from the age of 14."If we really cared about the well-being of people who use drugs, we would have given Nazeri and others like him meaningful support and space for recovery," said Han."Instead, he was punished with incarceration over and over again throughout his life."After a hiatus of more than 2 years, the city-state resumed executions in March with the hanging of a Singaporean drug trafficker, and activists fear more will be carried out in coming months.The execution in April of Malaysian trafficker Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam sparked international outrage due to concerns that he was mentally disabled. <ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/04/03/22/singaporeans-protest-the-death-penalty-in-rare-demonstration'>Singaporeans protest the death penalty in rare demonstration</a></li>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/03/29/22/singapore-court-junks-mentally-disabled-mans-death-sentence-appeal'>Singapore court dismisses mentally disabled man's death sentence appeal</a></li></ul>In a recent BBC interview, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam defended Singapore's position on the death penalty, saying there was "clear evidence that it is a serious deterrent for would-be drug traffickers".<ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/06/22/pnp-official-backs-death-penalty-for-large-scale-drug-dealers'>PNP official supports death penalty for large-scale drug traffickers</a></li></ul>© Agence France-Presse<figure class='op-interactive'><iframe allow='autoplay; fullscreen' frameborder='0' height='100%' id='ivsplayer01' scrolling='no' src='https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&spid=3001339&vid=2128317' width='100%'></iframe></figure><div class='iwantbar'>Watch more News on <a href='https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news' target='_blank'>iWantTFC</a></div>

On Friday, Singaporean man Nazeri Lajim was executed in prison, the prisons service said in a statement to AFP.The 64-year-old was convicted in 2017 of possessing over 33 grams of heroin "for the purpose of trafficking", Singapore's drug enforcement agency said. This was enough "to feed the addiction of about 400 abusers for a week", it added. An appeals court on Thursday rejected a last-gasp plea, in which Nazeri appeared via video link, to stay the execution. Prominent local rights campaigner Kirsten Han told AFP that Nazeri had spent most of his life struggling with drug dependency, starting from the age of 14."If we really cared about the well-being of people who use drugs, we would have given Nazeri and others like him meaningful support and space for recovery," said Han."Instead, he was punished with incarceration over and over again throughout his life."After a hiatus of more than 2 years, the city-state resumed executions in March with the hanging of a Singaporean drug trafficker, and activists fear more will be carried out in coming months.The execution in April of Malaysian trafficker Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam sparked international outrage due to concerns that he was mentally disabled. <ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/04/03/22/singaporeans-protest-the-death-penalty-in-rare-demonstration'>Singaporeans protest the death penalty in rare demonstration</a></li>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/03/29/22/singapore-court-junks-mentally-disabled-mans-death-sentence-appeal'>Singapore court dismisses mentally disabled man's death sentence appeal</a></li></ul>In a recent BBC interview, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam defended Singapore's position on the death penalty, saying there was "clear evidence that it is a serious deterrent for would-be drug traffickers".<ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/06/22/pnp-official-backs-death-penalty-for-large-scale-drug-dealers'>PNP official supports death penalty for large-scale drug traffickers</a></li></ul>© Agence France-Presse<figure class='op-interactive'><iframe allow='autoplay; fullscreen' frameborder='0' height='100%' id='ivsplayer01' scrolling='no' src='https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&spid=3001339&vid=2128317' width='100%'></iframe></figure><div class='iwantbar'>Watch more News on <a href='https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news' target='_blank'>iWantTFC</a></div>

The spate of hangings -- which included the widely criticized execution of a mentally disabled man in April -- has prompted growing calls for Singapore to abolish the death penalty. But the city-state, which has some of the world's toughest anti-drugs laws, insists it remains an effective deterrent against trafficking.

<div class='embed-wrap'><figure data-feedback='fb:likes,fb:comments'><img alt='Activists hold candles during a candlelight vigil against the impending execution of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, who was convicted of a drug offense 10 years ago in Singapore but diagnosed as intellectually disabled, outside the Singaporean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Nov. 8, 2021. Fazry Ismail, EPA-EFE/File' src='https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/03/30/20220330-activists-hold-candles-malaysia-epa-efe.jpg' ><figcaption>Activists hold candles during a candlelight vigil against the impending execution of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, who was convicted of a drug offense 10 years ago in Singapore but diagnosed as intellectually disabled, outside the Singaporean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Nov. 8, 2021. Fazry Ismail, EPA-EFE/File</figcaption></figure></div> SINGAPORE — Singapore hanged a convicted drug trafficker on Friday, the fifth execution in the city-state since March, after a court rejected a last-ditch appeal and despite pleas for clemency.

Singapore hanged a convicted drug trafficker on Friday, the fifth execution in the city-state since March. 

Singapore executes fifth drug trafficker since March | ABS-CBN News

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Singapore executes fifth drug trafficker since March

Singapore executes fifth drug trafficker since March