Joint Local Statement on a death penalty case 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 to halt the execution scheduled for 22 January and to commute the prisoner’s sentence to a non-capital sentence, noting that this would be the third execution in Singapore in as many weeks in 2026.

We repeat our consistent strong and principled stance against the death penalty, opposing its use in all cases and in all circumstances.

The death penalty is incompatible with the inalienable right to life and the absolute prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment.

The available evidence does not support the use of capital punishment as a deterrent to crime. Furthermore, rehabilitation as an objective of modern criminal law is rendered impossible by the application of capital punishment.

We advocate for Singapore to adopt a moratorium on all executions as a first step towards its full abolition, in line with the worldwide trend.