Singapore
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Retentionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 4
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 7
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · Capital crimes are: murder, treason, offenses against...
- News items in the archive
- 349
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Singapore is classified as Retentionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 4 executions in the country, against 7 the year before. The archive holds 349 news items on Singapore, from 1999 to today.
Latest news
- APRIL 5, 2007SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. LAW SOCIETY URGES END TO MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY
the Law Society has called for the scrapping of the mandatory death penalty in Singapore for crimes such as murder, drug trafficking and firearms-related offences.
- MARCH 27, 2007SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
DEATH FOR SINGAPOREAN WHO TRAFFICKED IN ECSTASY PILLS
the Singaporean High Court sentenced national Yeo Kwee Huat to death for dealing in 9,800 Ecstasy pills.
- JANUARY 26, 2007NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE EXECUTES MEN FOR DRUG SMUGGLING
Singapore has executed two African men for drug smuggling after rejecting appeals for clemency by Nigeria's president, the UN and rights groups. Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi, 21, of Nigeria, and 35-year-old Okeke Nelson Malachy, a stateless African, were hanged
- JANUARY 1, 2007SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
Capital crimes are: murder, treason, offences against the President, illegal possession of arms, kidnapping and causing an innocent person to be executed by bearing false witness.
Capital crimes are: murder, treason, offences against the President, illegal possession of arms, kidnapping and causing an innocent person to be executed by bearing false witness.
- NOVEMBER 3, 2006MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. MALAYSIAN HANGED FOR MURDER OF EIGHT-YEAR-OLD CHINESE GIRL
a Malaysian man who murdered an eight-year-old Chinese girl was hanged after losing his appeal, Singapore's prisons department said.
- OCTOBER 11, 2006MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. MALAYSIAN TO HANG FOR MURDER
a Singapore court sentenced Malaysian national Lee Chez Kee to hang for the 13-year-old murder of a university professor. Kee, 37, was found guilty of murdering Lee Kok Cheong while attempting to rob the Singapore professor at his home with two other acco
- SEPTEMBER 27, 2006SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. BODY PARTS CASE: LEONG'S APPEAL AGAINST DEATH SENTENCE DISMISSED
Singapore's Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal by Leong Siew Chor against the death sentence received for murder.
- SEPTEMBER 21, 2006IndiaDEATH PENALTY
INDIAN SPARED DEATH SENTENCE IN SINGAPORE
an Indian taxi driver facing trial for murdering his wife was spared the death sentence by a court in Singapore. G. Krishnasamy Naidu, who was earlier handed the death sentence for murdering his wife Chitrabathy Narayanasamy, now faced either 10 years in
- JULY 13, 2006NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. AMNESTY ASKS SINGAPORE NOT TO HANG TWO AFRICAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS
Amnesty International said it had written to Singapore President S.R. Nathan asking him to intervene to stop a Nigerian and a South African convicted of drug trafficking from being hanged.
- JUNE 14, 2006AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. SINGAPORE PM STANDS FIRM ON DEATH PENALTY
the prime ministers of Singapore and Australia discussed their differences over Singapore's use of the death penalty.
- MAY 19, 2006SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. MAN TO HANG FOR MURDER OF CHINESE GIRLFRIEND
a Singaporean man was sentenced to hang for murdering his Chinese girlfriend and chopping up her remains.
- MAY 11, 2006MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. 34,000 PEOPLE SIGN PETITION AGAINST TOOK LENG HOW'S DEATH SENTENCE
the fate of convicted murderer Took Leng How will be known within three months, as a last-ditch effort to spare him from the gallows reaches the President. Some 34,000 people have signed a petition against Took's death sentence, due to be submitted to Pre
- APRIL 26, 2006SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR WIFE'S MURDER
a man was sentenced to death in Singapore for the murder of his wife after he suspected her of having extra-marital affairs. Khrishnasamy Naidu, 43, was found guilty of slashing Chitrabathy Narayanasamy, 39, to death at a Sony factory in May 2004.
- FEBRUARY 20, 2006NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. APPEALS COURT REJECTS APPLICATION TO OVERTURN DEATH SENTENCE OF 2 MEN
the Singapore Appeals Court rejected the application of two men to have their death sentence overturned.
- FEBRUARY 12, 2006SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. 96% OF SINGAPOREANS BACK THE DEATH PENALTY
a survey of 425 Singaporeans and permanent residents, aged 20 and older, showed that 96 per cent supported the death penalty. Most also wanted it to remain mandatory for the crimes of murder, drug trafficking, the use of firearms, acts of treason and kidn
- JANUARY 25, 2006MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. MALAYSIAN MAN TO HANG FOR CHINESE GIRL'S MURDER
Took Leng How, a 23-year-old Malaysian man, was set to be hanged in Singapore for murdering an eight-year-old mainland Chinese girl after loosing his appeal.
- JANUARY 23, 2006SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. MAN TO HANG FOR MURDER AFTER LOSING APPEAL
Vijayakumar Veeriah, a 24 year old man convicted of stabbing a close friend to death in Bukit Batok, Singapore, was due to hang after the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction for murdering Suthagar Raja Ram Thomas, 24, at their rented flat in September 2
- JANUARY 13, 2006SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. LAW SOCIETY TO GIVE DEATH PENALTY A FAIR AIRING
it was reported that an eight-man Law Society committee would study judicial and death penalty systems in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong and India and compare it with Singapore's in order to prepare a report to be submi
- JANUARY 13, 2006SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. LAWYER TRIES TO SAVE DRUG CONVICTS ON DEATH ROW
M. Ravi, a Singapore lawyer and human rights activist, said he planned to campaign against the execution of two convicted heroin traffickers.
- JANUARY 1, 2006SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
Capital crimes are: murder, treason, offences against the President, illegal possession of arms, kidnapping and causing an innocent person to be executed by bearing false witness.
Capital crimes are: murder, treason, offences against the President, illegal possession of arms, kidnapping and causing an innocent person to be executed by bearing false witness.
- DECEMBER 2, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. SINGAPORE HANGS AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL NGUYEN, THOUSANDS MOURN
Singapore executed Australian national Nguyen Tuong Van just before dawn despite repeated pleas by Australia's government for clemency.
- DECEMBER 2, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA. MALAYSIA BACKS SINGAPORE DECISION TO EXECUTE AUSTRALIAN
Malaysia's Foreign Minister supported Singapore's decision to execute Australian heroin trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van, saying the death penalty was a necessary legal deterrent.
- NOVEMBER 30, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL NGUYEN 'READY TO DIE'
Nguyen Tuong Van, an Australian heroin trafficker on death row in Singapore still had his sense of humor just days before his scheduled execution on December 2, his lawyer said.
- NOVEMBER 28, 2005SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. AUTHORITIES SAY HANGMAN NOT SACKED
Singapore's prison authorities denied the city-state's chief executioner Darshan Singh had been sacked.
- NOVEMBER 22, 2005SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. TOP LAWYER SLAMS DEATH PENALTY
Subhas Anandan, one of Singapore's top criminal defence lawyers, said the city-state should abandon its use of the mandatory death penalty.
- NOVEMBER 21, 2005SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. NO PLANS TO CHANGE DEATH PENALTY BY HANGING
Singapore said it would continue to execute convicted criminals by hanging amid growing international criticism over its use of the death penalty to deter crime like murder and drug trafficking.
- NOVEMBER 17, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. EXECUTION DATE SET FOR AUSTRALIAN MAN CONVICTED OF DRUG SMUGGLING
Singapore will hang 25-year-old Australian drug smuggler Nguyen Tuong Van on December 2, despite numerous pleas by Canberra for clemency, his Australian lawyer Lex Lasry said.
- NOVEMBER 15, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
UNITED NATIONS. UN OFFICIAL URGES SINGAPORE NOT TO EXECUTE AUSTRALIAN
Philip Alston, special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions for the UN Commission on Human Rights, urged the Singapore government not to hang Nguyen Tuong Van, a convicted Australian heroin trafficker, saying the execution violated
- NOVEMBER 7, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE. ACTIVISTS URGE GOVERNMENT TO SPARE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL ON DEATH ROW
activists in Singapore protested against the planned execution of Nguyen Tuong Van, a convicted Australian drug carrier, and urged the government to relax its harsh drug laws. Speakers at a forum, organised by Singaporean civil rights group Think Centre,
- NOVEMBER 7, 2005AustraliaDEATH PENALTY
AUSTRALIA. NGUYEN SUPPORTERS VOICE DEATH PENALTY OPPOSITION
Adelaide supporters of Nguyen Tuong Van, an Australian man on death row in Singapore, held a lunchtime rally to voice their opposition to the death penalty. About 30 people sat on the steps of Parliament House to show support for Nguyen, 25, who was facin