30 March 2022

Singapore Resumes Executions for Drug Offences

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The execution of Mr Abdul Kahar bin Othman for a drug offence marks the first execution in Singapore after two-year pause.

Abdul Kahar bin Othman was executed in Singapore on 30 March 2022.

Mr Kahar Othman was sentenced to death for a drug offence in 2015.

Naomi Burke-Shyne, Executive Director of Harm Reduction International, said, “By resuming executions, Singapore has returned to its position among the extreme fringe group of countries still applying the death penalty for drugs.”

Harm Reduction International monitors the 35 countries which retain the death penalty for drug offences; 131 people were  executed for drug offences around the world in 2021 – a shocking 336% increase from 2020. However, due to a severe lack of transparency, this figure likely represents only a fraction of all drug-related executions carried out.

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