To Members of the Cabinet, 

We call on you to halt all executions, and immediately direct an official moratorium on the death penalty in Singapore. As of 31 July 2024, there are at least 55 individuals on death row, most of whom have exhausted all legal recourse available to them. The overwhelming majority of them have been placed on death row after being convicted of drug trafficking, and were given the mandatory death penalty. 

We need to fundamentally re-evaluate our approach to drugs in our country, committing to an evidence-based approach grounded in public health perspectives and harm reduction. If we want to deter people from participating in the drug trade, we should ensure that there is affordable and high-quality healthcare and housing, decent jobs with living wages, strong labour protections, and free, accessible and voluntary community-based rehabilitation programmes that do not treat their participants as criminals.

The death penalty is irreversible. This means completely innocent people may be executed. The close calls we have had in several cases also point to this risk. 

We have seen that public sentiment is turning against the use of the death penalty in Singapore. Hundreds of clemency appeals by Singaporeans have also been ignored by the President and the Prime Minister.

The death penalty has no place in a caring and just society, which many Singaporeans desire. We do not accept the murder of our fellow people in our name, and firmly believe it is high time that we take steps towards abolition. 

Therefore: 

1. We demand the Government of Singapore to halt all executions, and for the Cabinet of Singapore to direct an immediate moratorium on the death penalty. 

2. We demand a transparent and independent review of the use of the death penalty and its effects. 

3. We demand that the government be transparent and accountable to the people on how the death penalty has been used in Singapore. For starters, we need access to basic information like the number and demographics of people on death row. 

4. We demand that accused persons facing capital charges and persons convicted of capital offences receive enhanced procedural protections, including (a) the right to have a lawyer and translator present from the beginning of the investigation process, (b) procedural accommodations for vulnerable persons like people with disabilities and young persons, in line with international best practices. 

5. We demand that accused persons facing capital charges and persons convicted of capital offences have every opportunity to fight their case, through guaranteeing that lawyers representing them in any stage of their case and for any application are protected from sanctions.

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Above is the abridged version of the petition. If you would like to read the full text, you may do so via https://stopthekilling.sg/about/the-peoples-petition/

This online petition complements our efforts to collect physical signatures door-to-door in different estates of Singapore. So far, we have collected over 1,700 physical signatures. We welcome and encourage everyone to resides in Singapore to sign this online petition to show that we don't want the state to continue this bloodshed in our name. 

Find out more about the Stop The Killing campaign via https://stopthekilling.sg/

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