End executions, embrace regional progress - IDPC joins 26 NGOs urging Singapore to abandon the death penalty

We the 27 undersigned organisations are gravely concerned with the ongoing executions in Singapore for drug offences.

International law establishes that the death penalty should be reserved for the ‘most serious’ crimes, an interpretation that limits the applicability of the death penalty to intentional killings. Drug offences have consistently been determined by various UN bodies and agencies, including the 2023 UN resolution on the question of the death penalty, to fail to meet and fulfil the threshold of ‘most serious’ crime.

The continued use of the death penalty for drug offences in Singapore is counterproductive and ineffectual in tackling the proliferation of illicit substances within ASEAN. There are clear trends that suggest that drug trafficking within the region is not exclusively tied to any one country, with drug couriers frequently arrested after crossing multiple ASEAN countries.

The death penalty in Singapore has often been applied to drug couriers in situations of vulnerability who perform low-level and high-risk tasks without substantial involvement in the organised crime groups that orchestrate these operations. At the ASEAN level, the policy of allowing the execution of drug couriers effectively deprives Singapore’s neighbours of an opportunity to access witnesses to transnational drug trafficking.

The case of Mary Jane Veloso demonstrates the critical importance of drug couriers’ testimonies in efforts to bring organised crime groups to justice. Their experience of exploitation, including by powerful criminal groups, could also provide significant insights to authorities and serve as a waypoint to guide policies and strategies that would be effective in curbing drug trafficking.

While ASEAN has developed numerous joint initiatives including the ASEAN Treaty for Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, there are limited ASEAN-level initiatives or collaboration between its member states to develop cohesive and effective drug policies that would address the common concerns around the drug trade and substance use.

We advise the government of Singapore to refrain from further executions in line with international law and proactively engage with its neighbours within ASEAN to co-develop principles and policies that would be of greater effectiveness in tackling drug trafficking in Singapore and the broader region without resorting to ineffective policies that rely on or contribute to gross human rights violations.

Endorsed by:

• HAYAT, Malaysia
• Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL)
• Brussels federation of institutions for drugs and addictions
• Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation, Canada
• Drug Policy Alliance, US
• Drug Policy Australia
• Drug Policy Program, Malaysia
• Federación Andaluza Enlace
• Harm Reduction Australia
• Harm Reduction International
• Harm Reduction Victoria
• Instituto RIA, AC México
• International Drug Policy Consortium
• International Drug Law Advocacy and Resource Center (IDLARC), USA
• Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Masyarakat, Indonesia
• Mainline, the Netherlands
• NoBox Philippines
• Organisation for the Prevention of Intense Suffering (OPIS), Switzerland
• Sebaran Kasih Malaysia
• Skoun, Lebanon
• StoptheDrugWar.org, US
• Students for Sensible Drug Policy Australia
• UNIDOS - Rede Nacional de Redução de Danos
• Women and Harm Reduction International Network
• Young Wave, Lithuania
• Youth RISE
• É de Lei Drop-in Centre, Brazil