By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A 45-year-old Singaporean woman has been found guilty of drug trafficking and would in coming days be executed.
Saridewi Djamani was found guilty of trafficking 30g of heroin in 2018 and would be the first woman to receive capital punishment in the country in nearly 20 years, as the country has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws.
A BBC report says the convict will be the second drug offender to be executed in three days, after fellow Singaporean Mohd Aziz bin Hussain, and the 15th since March 2022.
Singapore has repeatedly said the tough sanction is necessary to protect society, the report says.
Aziz was convicted of trafficking 50g of heroin. Under Singapore law, the death penalty can be applied for the trafficking of more than 15g of heroin and more than 500g of cannabis.
Last April, another Singaporean, Tangaraju Suppiah, was executed for trafficking 1kg of cannabis that he never touched. Authorities revealed he coordinated the sale via mobile phone.
Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) declined to comment on Djamani’s case when contacted by the BBC.
In an earlier statement, the CNB said Aziz was accorded “full due process”, and that his appeal against his conviction and sentence was dismissed in 2018.
British billionaire Sir Richard Branson has again criticised Singapore for its executions, saying the death penalty is not a deterrent against crime.
“Small-scale drug traffickers need help, as most are bullied due to their circumstances,” Branson said on Twitter. He said it is not too late to stop Saridewi’s execution.
Djamani was one of two women on death row in Singapore, according to the Transformative Justice Collective, a Singapore-based human rights group.
She will be the first woman executed by the city-state since hairdresser Yen May Woen in 2004, the group said. Yen was also convicted of drug trafficking.
Local media reported that Djamani testified during her trial that she was stocking up on heroin for personal use during the Islamic fasting month.
