Singapore executes man for supplying cannabis

Singapore has executed a man for conspiring to traffic cannabis, despite appeals for clemency from his family, activists, and the United Nations.

Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was hanged on Wednesday for a plot to smuggle 1kg (35oz) of cannabis. Activists argued that he had been convicted on weak evidence and had limited legal access during his prosecution, but Singaporean authorities defended the country’s tough anti-drug laws, saying they are necessary to deter drug crime. 

Last year, Singapore hanged 11 people, all on drugs charges, including a man with an intellectual disability who was convicted of trafficking three tablespoons of heroin. The country’s stringent drug laws and use of capital punishment have caused concern among activists and put it increasingly at odds with other nations in the region. 

Meanwhile, cannabis has been decriminalised in many parts of the world, including neighbouring Thailand, where its trade is encouraged.