Singapore is set to hang a man for smuggling cannabis, in the city-state’s latest controversial execution.
Tangaraju, 46, was found guilty of “aiding and abetting in a trafficking conspiracy” for a delivery of 1 kg of cannabis from Malaysia to Singapore in 2013. Although he was not caught in the act, the State prosecutors said he was responsible for coordinating it and traced two phone numbers used by a delivery man to Tangaraju.
Tangaraju claimed that he was not the person who communicated with others related to the case. He said he lost one of the phones and denied owning the second.
Singaporean law provides for the death penalty for drug trafficking and lighter sentences for smugglers. On Tangaraju’s final appeal, the judge agreed with the prosecution that Tangaraju was responsible for coordinating the delivery, which barred him from a more lenient sentence.
Activists have also expressed concern that Tangaraju did not have access to an interpreter and had to plead his last appeal alone, as his family was unable to find him a lawyer.
Singaporean authorities claim that Tangaraju only asked for an interpreter during the trial, and not before. They add that he had access to a lawyer throughout the procedure.
In recent days, family members and activists have written letters to Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob in a last-minute appeal for clemency, while British billionaire Sir Richard Branson has called for the arrest of the execution and a review of the case.
“I know my brother did nothing wrong. I urge the court to consider his case from the beginning,” Leela Suppiah, Tangaraju’s sister, told a news conference.
Sir Richard, who previously criticized the 2022 execution of intellectually disabled Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, said Tangaraju’s case was “shocking on many levels”.
In a blog post, he said Singapore “could be on the verge of killing an innocent man” due to “more than questionable circumstances”.
“The death penalty is already a dark stain on the country’s reputation. An execution following such an insecure sentence would only make matters worse,” he said.
Refuting his claims, Singapore’s Home Office said they were false and accused him of “disrespecting Singapore judges and our criminal justice system”.
Singapore’s Home Affairs said the death penalty was “an essential component” of a multi-pronged approach that has proven “effective in keeping Singapore safe”.
Kirsten Han, spokesperson for the Singapore Death Penalty Advocacy Association Transformative Collective Justice (TJC), said the government did not want to appear to bow to pressure.
But, she added, “of all the things that Singapore stands out for on the international stage and in the United Nations, defending its right to murder people on behalf of its citizens is not something we should be proud”.
Singapore has some of the toughest drug laws in the world, going so far as to prohibit the marketing of snacks containing hemp flour. Singapore’s strict rules contrast with recent moves by some of its neighbours. Thailand has largely decriminalized cannabis and even Malaysia has ended the mandatory death penalty for serious crimes.
Tangaraju’s family said they will continue to push for reforms to Singapore’s justice system, even if he ends up being executed.
“If such an injustice happens to my brother, I would not want it to happen to anyone else and so I will continue to fight,” said his sister Leela.
