Joint Local Statement on the death penalty case of Datchinamurthy a/l Kataiah
23 September 2025
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 call on the authorities of Singapore to halt the execution of Mr Datchinamurthy a/l Kataiah, and to commute his sentence to a non-capital sentence.
The death penalty is a cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment, representing the ultimate denial of human dignity. The available evidence does not support its use as a deterrent to crime, and it makes miscarriages of justice irreversible.
Furthermore, we call on Singapore to adopt a moratorium on all executions as a first step towards its full abolition, in line with the worldwide trend.
We will continue to work for the abolition of the death penalty in the few remaining countries that still apply it.
