GENEVA - UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today expressed alarm at the continuing spike in executions for drug-related offences in Singapore, saying the practice is at odds with international human rights law. He called for an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty.
In the first months of this year alone, eight people have been executed for drug-related offences in Singapore. Last year, of the 17 individuals executed, 15 were convicted of drug-related offences. Of the 25 executions carried out in 2023 and 2024, 24 were reportedly for drug-related offences.
Most recently, Omar bin Yacob Bamadhaj was executed last week for trafficking cannabis. His family received two weeks' notice that his execution would be carried out.
"At every level, the taking of this man's life is both cruel and inhuman," the High Commissioner said. "Quite simply, the death penalty is fundamentally incompatible with human dignity and the right to life."
Türk recalled that drug-related offences not involving loss of life do not meet the "most serious crimes" standard set by international human rights law, which limits capital punishment only to crimes of extreme gravity involving intentional killing, and requires strict compliance with full due process and fair trial guarantees.
While there has been a general shift away from the use of capital punishment in Asia, Türk said it was very concerning to see a global increase in the proportion of executions for drug-related offences in recent years. Singapore is one of only a handful of countries currently imposing the death penalty for drug-related offences not involving intentional killing.
"I repeat my plea to Singapore - and all other States still carrying out executions - to impose a moratorium, as a critical step towards full legal abolition of this inhuman practice," Türk added.
