Singapore carried out its second execution this week for drug trafficking, hanging a 45-year-old woman on Friday. This marks the city-state's first execution of a woman in 19 years. Saridewi Djamani was convicted in 2018 for trafficking approximately 31 grams of pure heroin, an amount Singaporean authorities deem enough to sustain the addiction of roughly 370 users for a week. This execution follows just two days after the hanging of 56-year-old Mohammed Aziz Hussain, convicted for trafficking about 50 grams of heroin. A third execution, this time of a former delivery driver convicted of trafficking a similar amount of heroin, is scheduled for next week.

Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau asserts that both Djamani and Hussain received due process, including appeals and clemency petitions. However, human rights organizations, international activists, and the United Nations continue to urge Singapore to abolish capital punishment for drug offenses, arguing it doesn't deter drug activity. Singaporean authorities maintain that the death penalty is crucial for curbing both drug supply and demand.

The upcoming execution involves a man who claims he unknowingly transported the heroin, believing it to be contraband cigarettes. Despite his claims, he was sentenced to death under Singapore's strict drug laws. If carried out, this will be Singapore’s fifth execution this year. Human rights groups report that 15 individuals have been executed for drug offenses since the resumption of hangings in March 2022.