It added that countries have the sovereign right to choose the approach that best suits their own circumstances, and Singapore will continue to implement evidence-based measures that have worked well for it in the fight against drugs.
During a press briefing on April 25, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesman Ravina Shamdasani had urged Singapore’s authorities not to proceed with Tangaraju’s execution, and raised concerns around “due process and respect for fair trial guarantees”. Every capital sentence imposed must be examined and confirmed by the Court of Appeal, regardless of whether the convicted person appeals against the conviction or sentence, it said.
The study reported that 87 per cent of respondents believed capital punishment makes people not want to traffic substantial amounts of drugs into Singapore; and 83 per cent believed that capital punishment is more effective than life imprisonment in discouraging people from trafficking drugs into Singapore.