Singapore has executed a man for trafficking less than 3.5 pounds of marijuana, its second execution in three weeks for a crime that carries a much lighter sentence in most of the rest of the world. The man, 36-year-old Muhammad Faizal Bin Mohd Shariff, had been convicted and sentenced to death in 2019 for possessing about 1.6 kilograms of cannabis. Human rights groups have condemned the punishment as grossly excessive, but Singapore has long taken a harsh stance toward drugs, showing little flexibility.
Most death row inmates in Singapore are tied to drug crimes, and last year, the country executed 11 people for drug-related offenses. Opponents of Singapore’s drug policy also say that it has disproportionately hurt marginalized ethnic minorities. Despite this, the argument to abolish the death penalty for drug crimes has not gained much traction in Singapore, as the public is still largely pro-death penalty.