AMNESTY International has appealed to the Singaporean government to halt tomorrow's execution of Nigerian Chijoke Stephen Obioha who has been sentenced to death aftyer being convicted of drug smuggling.
Mr Obioha family has been informed that his appeal for clemency has been rejected and he is set to be executed tomorrow. Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International’s director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said that the body opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, regardless of the method of execution or the crime for which it is imposed and believes that there is no credible evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect.
Mr Djamin added: “The Singapore government still has time to halt the execution of Chijoke Stephen Obioha. We are dismayed that clemency has not been granted in his case but remain hopeful that they won’t carry out this cruel and irreversible punishment against a person sentenced to the mandatory death penalty for a crime that should not even be punished by death.
“The death penalty is never the solution as it will not rid Singapore of drugs. Most of the world has turned its back on this ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and it is about time that Singapore does the same, starting by restoring a moratorium on all executions as a first step towards abolition of this punishment.”
Mr Obioha was found in possession of more than 2.6kg of cannabis in April 2007, surpassing the amount of 500 grams that triggers the automatic presumption of trafficking under Singapore law. Under Singaporean law, when there is a presumption of drug possession and trafficking, the burden of proof shifts from the prosecutor to the defendant.
According to Amnesty International, this violates the right to a fair trial by turning the presumption of innocence on its head. Mr Djamin added that drug-related offences do not meet the threshold of the most serious crimes to which the use of the death penalty must be restricted under international law.
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