21 November 2024

The Delegation of the European Union issues the following statement, together with the diplomatic missions of the EU Member States and the diplomatic missions of Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom in Singapore:

The EU Delegation and the diplomatic missions of the EU Member States and of Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom deplore the execution of a 39-year-old Malaysian and a 53-year-old Singaporean citizen on 15 November 2024. We further call on the Singapore authorities to halt the execution of Rosman bin Abdullah, scheduled for 22 November 2024, and to commute his sentence to a non-capital sentence.

We strongly oppose the use of capital punishment in all cases and in all circumstances. The death penalty is incompatible with the inalienable right to life and is a cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment. Imposing the death penalty for drug offences is incompatible with international norms and standards. 

The death penalty fails to act as a deterrent to crime and makes possible miscarriages of justice irreversible. Moreover, rehabilitation as an objective of modern criminal law is rendered impossible by the application of capital punishment.

Today, more than two thirds of the countries of the world have become abolitionist in law or practice, which confirms a global trend in favour of the abolition of the death penalty.

We advocate for Singapore to adopt a moratorium on all executions as a positive first step towards its abolition.

We will continue to work for the abolition of the death penalty in the few remaining countries that still apply it.