In Singapore, 46-year-old Tangaraju Suppia was hanged on charges of smuggling more than one kilogram of marijuana. Illegal trafficking of surfactants weighing more than 500 grams, according to the law of the country, is punishable by death. Suppia was convicted in 2017. The man was sentenced to death in 2018.
Suppia was supported by the United Nations Human Rights Office in Singapore and British billionaire Richard Branson. They urged the court to review his decision. Phil Robertson, deputy director of Asia for Human Rights Watch, said the evidence against Suppia "was far from clear-cut." The man never touched the marijuana involved in the case and was questioned without a lawyer. He was also denied the services of a Tamil interpreter.
SkyNews also writes that Suppia was not caught with marijuana. The Singapore prosecutor's office claims that contacts with other participants in the transaction were found on his phone as the basis for the detention. Despite these violations, Singapore authorities deny any allegations. They contend that due process was carried out against Suppia and his guilt was proven. The Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs stated that "the evidence clearly showed that he was the person coordinating the delivery of drugs for the purpose of trafficking".
Singapore returned to the practice of the death penalty in 2022. Before that, there was a break in the country for more than two years. Since then, 11 people have been executed on PAS-related articles. Sappia became the 12th and the first in more than half a year.
