Comment by UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango on impending execution in Singapore

We are deeply concerned that the authorities in Singapore are set to execute Mohammad Azwan Bin Bohari tomorrow for drug trafficking, after he was found in possession of three packets of diamorphine.

We call for his execution to be stopped and for his sentence to be commuted to an appropriate term of imprisonment. The death penalty is not appropriate in drug-related cases that are not of extreme gravity, and which do not directly and intentionally result in death.

We also urge the Government of Singapore to immediately put in place a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, as a step towards its abolition. A moratorium would not only align Singapore with the global trend towards the abolition of capital punishment but would also further solidify its commitment to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights. More than 170 countries have so far abolished or established moratoria on the death penalty in law or practice

The death penalty is incompatible with the fundamental right to life, raises the unacceptable risk of executing innocent people, and evidence suggests it has little to no effect in deterring crime.