A 46-year-old Indian-origin man, convicted of a conspiracy to smuggle one kilogram of cannabis, was hanged at in Changi Prison Complex in Singapore on Wednesday, according to authorities.
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The hanging took place amid widespread calls by international organizations, including the United Nations Human Rights Office, asking the Singaporean government to “urgently reconsider” the execution.
Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, had been convicted for abetting the trafficking in 2013 of more than 1 kg of cannabis, double the threshold for the death penalty in the city-state, which is known for its tough laws on narcotics.
Kokila Annamalai, a Singapore-based rights activist representing the family, confirmed Suppiah had been executed by hanging after the president had rejected pleas for clemency on the eve of the execution. The Singapore government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
British billionaire Richard Branson, a well known opponent of the death penalty, had said the verdict against Suppiah did not meet standards for criminal conviction as he was not near the drugs when he was arrested.
The United Nations Office for Human Rights had also called for Singapore not to proceed with the execution and to “adopt a formal moratorium on executions for drug-related offences”.
Last year, Singapore executed 11 people including a drug trafficker Nagendran Dharmalingam. Dharmalingam was hanged on April, 22 last year. He was caught with nearly three tea spoons of heroine. According to Singapore the death penalty is an effective deterrent against drugs and that most of its people support the policy.
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