Comment By UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani On Imminent Execution In Singapore

Geneva, 20 November 2024

We urge the authorities in Singapore to stop the imminent execution of Rosman Bin Abdallah for drug-related offences and to commute his sentence to an appropriate term of imprisonment.

Bin Abdallah was sentenced to a mandatory death penalty in 2010 for trafficking some 57 grams of diamorphine. Multiple appeals, including on the basis of his intellectual disabilities, as well as a petition for clemency, have been rejected. If carried out, this would be the third execution for drug offences in Singapore this month.

The use of the death penalty for drug-related offences is incompatible with international human rights law. There is increasing evidence showing the ineffectiveness of capital punishment as a deterrent.

We urge the Singaporean authorities to review their long-standing position on the death penalty, in line with the growing international consensus for abolition.

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