The Heads of Mission call on the Singapore authorities to halt the execution of Syed Suhail bin Syed Zin, and to commute his sentence to a non-capital sentence.

The Heads of Mission oppose the use of capital punishment, which can never be justified, and advocates for Singapore to adopt a moratorium on all executions as a positive first step towards its abolition.

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. No compelling evidence exists to show that the death penalty serves as a more efficient deterrent to crime than imprisonment. Moreover, rehabilitation as an objective of modern criminal law is frustrated by the application of capital punishment. Furthermore, any errors - inevitable in any legal system - are irreversible.

The Heads of Mission will continue to actively work to further the universal trend towards the eradication of the death penalty.