Singapore Executes Man for Involvement in Selling Cannabis
2023-04-27
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Singapore on Wednesday executed a man accused of coordinating a cannabis delivery.
2Cannabis is another word for the drug marijuana.
3The man was executed although his family asked for clemency and activists protested his sentence.
4They said the evidence against the man was weak.
5A court in Singapore sentenced Tangaraju Suppiah to death in 2018 for assisting in the trafficking of 1 kilogram of cannabis.
6Under Singapore's laws, delivering more than 500 grams of cannabis may result in the death penalty.
7Tangaraju was 46 years old.
8Tangaraju was hanged Wednesday morning.
9The news came from a message on Twitter from activist Kirsten Han of the Transformative Justice Collective.
10The group supports ending the death penalty in Singapore.
11Tangaraju was not caught with the cannabis.
12But government lawyers said phone numbers proved he was the person responsible for trafficking the drugs.
13Tangaraju said he was not the one communicating with the others connected to the case.
14Ravina Shamdasani is the spokesperson for United Nations Human Rights.
15She called on Singapore's government to suspend executions for drug-related crimes.
16Executing people "for drug offences is incompatible with international norms and standards," said Shamdasani.
17She added that increasing evidence shows the death penalty is ineffective at stopping crime.
18Singapore officials said the punishment is effective.
19They said studies show that drug traffickers carry less than the amount that would bring an execution.
20Singapore's use of the death penalty for drugs is different than its neighbors.
21In Thailand, cannabis is mostly legal.
22Malaysia has ended the required death penalty for serious crimes.
23Singapore executed 11 people last year for drug crimes.
24One case that caused international concern involved a Malaysian man whose lawyers said he was mentally disabled.
25The Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network condemned Tangaraju's execution.
26The group said in a statement that Singapore's use of the death penalty goes against international human rights standards.
27It added that the death penalty calls into question "the legitimacy of Singapore's criminal justice system."
28Relatives and activists had sent letters to Singapore's President Halimah Yacob asking for clemency.
29In a video posted by the Transformative Justice Collective, Tangaraju's relatives appealed to the public to raise concerns to the government over his execution.
30An application filed by Tangaraju on Monday to cancel the execution was dismissed without a hearing Tuesday.
31Maya Foa is director of the non-profit human rights organization Reprieve.
32She said in a statement that Singapore's government does not give people sentenced to death fair treatment.
33She said lawyers who work on the cases are threatened.
34Critics say Singapore's death penalty has mostly been used on low-level criminals.
35They say the death penalty has done little to stop drug traffickers and organized crime.
36But Singapore's government says all those executed have been treated fairly under the law.
37The government says the death penalty is necessary to protect its citizens.
38I'm Dan Novak.
1Singapore on Wednesday executed a man accused of coordinating a cannabis delivery. 2Cannabis is another word for the drug marijuana. 3The man was executed although his family asked for clemency and activists protested his sentence. They said the evidence against the man was weak. 4A court in Singapore sentenced Tangaraju Suppiah to death in 2018 for assisting in the trafficking of 1 kilogram of cannabis. Under Singapore's laws, delivering more than 500 grams of cannabis may result in the death penalty. Tangaraju was 46 years old. 5Tangaraju was hanged Wednesday morning. The news came from a message on Twitter from activist Kirsten Han of the Transformative Justice Collective. The group supports ending the death penalty in Singapore. 6Tangaraju was not caught with the cannabis. But government lawyers said phone numbers proved he was the person responsible for trafficking the drugs. Tangaraju said he was not the one communicating with the others connected to the case. 7Ravina Shamdasani is the spokesperson for United Nations Human Rights. She called on Singapore's government to suspend executions for drug-related crimes. 8Executing people "for drug offences is incompatible with international norms and standards," said Shamdasani. She added that increasing evidence shows the death penalty is ineffective at stopping crime. 9Singapore officials said the punishment is effective. They said studies show that drug traffickers carry less than the amount that would bring an execution. 10Singapore's use of the death penalty for drugs is different than its neighbors. In Thailand, cannabis is mostly legal. Malaysia has ended the required death penalty for serious crimes. 11Singapore executed 11 people last year for drug crimes. One case that caused international concern involved a Malaysian man whose lawyers said he was mentally disabled. 12The Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network condemned Tangaraju's execution. 13The group said in a statement that Singapore's use of the death penalty goes against international human rights standards. It added that the death penalty calls into question "the legitimacy of Singapore's criminal justice system." 14Relatives and activists had sent letters to Singapore's President Halimah Yacob asking for clemency. In a video posted by the Transformative Justice Collective, Tangaraju's relatives appealed to the public to raise concerns to the government over his execution. 15An application filed by Tangaraju on Monday to cancel the execution was dismissed without a hearing Tuesday. 16Maya Foa is director of the non-profit human rights organization Reprieve. She said in a statement that Singapore's government does not give people sentenced to death fair treatment. She said lawyers who work on the cases are threatened. 17Critics say Singapore's death penalty has mostly been used on low-level criminals. They say the death penalty has done little to stop drug traffickers and organized crime. 18But Singapore's government says all those executed have been treated fairly under the law. The government says the death penalty is necessary to protect its citizens. 19I'm Dan Novak. 20Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 21___________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23coordinate - v. to organize an activity so it is carried out as planned 24clemency - n. asking for better treatment than what is expected under the conditions or law; asking for mercy 25traffic - v. to be directly involved in the trade of something illegal 26incompatible - adj. in conflict with 27norm - adj. an acceptable level of behavior among people 28standards -n. (pl.) ideas about what is right morally 29legitimacy - n. the condition of being real, accepted and undisputed