Singapore Death Penalty

In 112 countries around the world, the death penalty has been banned. Human rights lawyers consider this manner of punishment far too unethical. To be sentenced to life imprisonment is one thing but a death penalty is a step too far for many countries to even contemplate. Before 1990 people were usually sentenced to death for kidnapping, rape or murder but in 1995 many had abolished the system as many believed it to harsh. 

Naturally, Singapore was left out of this. Known for its strict views, Singapore is currently home to 50 individuals on death row for drug possession, three of whom are on the list for murder, demonstrating the ruthlessness of the country's drug laws. Many demonstrators clearly reject these viewpoints, which include human rights and the UN, but Singapore shows no sign of compassion; to the best of our knowledge, Singapore is among the harshest nations, and many of its citizens have been put to death. 

Preliminary findings from a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) survey conducted in 2023 showed that about 69 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the mandatory death penalty was an appropriate punishment for trafficking a significant amount of drugs. 

In my personal opinion, I am quite unsure what to think about a stringent system which is quite merciless. What I do know however, is that in many countries around the world, drug related crimes are not as harshly punished, particularly Cannabis, as they are in Singapore. Additionally, I don’t feel that Singapore should group these crimes in the same category as rapes, kidnappings, and murders as I view them as more severe and more irreversible than most drug related incidents.