Singapore hangs fourth drug trafficker in less than a month

The United Nations and rights groups say capital punishment has no proven deterrent effect and have called for it to be abolished, but Singaporean officials insist it has helped make the country one of Asia’s safest.

Masoud Rahimi Mehrzad, a Singaporean citizen born in the city state to a Singaporean mother and an Iranian father, was convicted in 2013 for drug trafficking.

Appeals against his conviction and sentence, as well as petitions for clemency from the president, had been dismissed. After he was informed of his impending hanging, Masoud filed an 11th-hour appeal to stay his execution, which was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on Thursday.

Calling him “an Iranian citizen”, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi also appealed to his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan on Thursday to halt the execution.

“Araghchi expressed Iran’s respect for Singapore’s legal framework but appealed to Singaporean authorities to reconsider the execution of Masoud Rahimi, emphasising humanitarian considerations,” Iran’s foreign ministry said on X.

However, Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) announced “the capital sentence of death imposed on Masoud Rahimi bin Mehrzad … was carried out on 29 November 2024”.