The Facts
According to authorities, Singapore hanged Saridewi Djamani on Friday in what was the country's first execution of a woman in nearly 20 years.
Djamani — found guilty of trafficking heroin in 2018 — was one of two women on death row in Singapore. The last woman to be put to death was Yen May Woen in 2004 on drug-related charges, according to the human rights group Transformative Justice Collective.
The Spin
Narrative A
Singapore's zero-tolerance stance and strict narcotics laws have allowed the country to remain safe, secure, and relatively drug-free — which shows that capital punishment does work to deter drug traffickers. The death penalty is essential to Singapore's criminal justice system, and since it is an effective deterrent against drug-related crimes, the public widely supports it.
Narrative B
Those on death row in Singapore are often from the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in the city-state, and executing these people just goes to show that the Singaporean state views them just as disposable as their drug kingpins do. There's no evidence that the death penalty is a deterrent for drug-related crimes or that it has any impact on the use and availability of drugs. Singapore needs to repeal the death penalty.
