United Nations
03 Aug 2022, 16:21 GMT+10
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) denounced on Tuesday the hanging of two inmates in Changi Prison, located in the eastern part of Singapore.
"We deplore the hanging today of two men in Singapore and are deeply troubled by the planned execution of two others on 5 August," OHCHR Spokesman Liz Throssell said in a statement.
The two prisoners, a Malaysian and a Singaporean, were hanged at after being convicted in May 2015 of drug trafficking and their appeals rejected.
Meanwhile, Abdul Rahim bin Shapiee and Ong Seow Ping, two other men were convicted in 2018 of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Despite appealing their sentences, both are expected to be executed on Friday 5 August.
Last week's execution of Malay Singaporian national Nazeri Bin Lajim raised serious concerns over the discriminatory nature of death sentences in Singapore.
He was arrested for trafficking 33 grammes of diamorphine, which he possessed mostly for personal use.
Independent UN experts observed that a disproportionate number of those sentenced to death for drug-related offences were minorities who tended to be from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, making Mr. Lajim more liable toward being sentenced death.
In her statement, Ms. Throssell urged the Singapore authorities to "halt all scheduled executions," including those of Abdul Rahim bin Shapiee and Ong Seow Ping.
She also called on the Government to, "end the use of mandatory death sentences for drug offences, commute all death sentences to a sentence of imprisonment and immediately put in place a moratorium on all executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty".
The Human Rights Council underscores that capital punishment is "inconsistent with the right to life" and the right to be free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
To date, more than 170 States have abolished or introduced a moratorium on the death penalty either in law or in practice and the UN urges Singapore to follow in their footsteps.
Get a daily dose of Singapore Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Singapore Star.
More InformationSOLOMON ISLANDS: In a move that opponents said is aimed at controlling and censoring the media, the government of the ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: In July, a Florida man was killed by exploding Takata airbag inflators, possibly becoming the 20th death in ...
Israel has launched an unprovoked war against the Palestinian resistance group Islamic Jihad. The Israeli army assassinated a high-ranking commander ...
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan categorically denied on Thursday that a U.S. drone strike in Kabul that killed al-Qaeda chief Ayman ...
EAST NUSA TENGGARA, Indonesia: Hundreds of Indonesian tourism workers went on strike this week to protest a sharp rise in ...
NASSAU, Bahamas: A team of explorers have announced that they have uncovered a treasure, including coins, gemstones and priceless jewels, ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks fell Tuesday, with broad-based losses across the board. The technology sector, however, wore ...
ISTANBUL, Turkey: Turkey's current accounts are expected to record a deficit of $3.4 billion in June and end the year ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Asia were mixed Tuesday while in the Pacific, markets rose. The scene mirrored events ...
DHAKA, Bangladesh: Bangladesh raised fuel prices by some 50 percent this week, which is aimed at reducing the country's subsidy ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks closed mixed on Monday as investors fret about CPI data due to be ...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Amazon announced this week that it had purchased robotic vacuum maker iRobot for approximately $1.7 ...