Alliance Against the Death Penalty SG

Statement on the Recent State Executions in Singapore
13 Jan 2025

We are deeply appalled and saddened by the execution of four individuals in Singapore in November 2024. This marks yet another grim chapter in our nation’s history, where the death penalty continues to be wielded in the name of justice, despite overwhelming evidence of its ineffectiveness and inherent cruelty.

The death penalty is a cruel and irreversible punishment that has no place in a compassionate and just society. It disproportionately targets the most marginalized in our communities, often those who lack adequate legal representation and support. Instead of addressing harms at their roots, the death penalty and broader carceral systems perpetuate a cycle of violence and exacerbate structural inequities that force individuals into desperate circumstances.

The use of capital punishment in Singapore is shrouded in myths, secrecy, and disproven justifications. When the state deprives the public of transparency, represses dissenting views, controls the narrative, and makes choices on our behalf, we are violently deprived of our right to see, to know, to feel, and to act as citizens of a just and democratic society.

We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of Abdul Kahar bin Othman, Nagaenthran a/l K Dharmalingam, Norasharee bin Gous, Kalwant Singh s/o Jogindar Singh, Nazeri bin Lajim, Abdul Rahim bin Shapiee, Tangaraju s/o Suppiah, Mohammad Azwan bin Bohari, Rosman bin Abdullah, Masoud Rahimi bin Mehrzad, and 18 others who were murdered by the state, as well 10 others who remain on death row. No one should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to state-sanctioned killing. No one should be killed by the state in our names.

We stand in solidarity with civil groups, activists, and individuals in Singapore and around the world who continue to fight tirelessly for the abolition of the death penalty. We call on the Singapore government to immediately halt all executions, impose a moratorium on the death penalty, and open meaningful dialogue on its abolition.

Justice should heal, not destroy. It is time for Singapore to move away from retributive punishment and embrace a justice system that values rehabilitation, compassion, and the dignity of human life.