Joint Local Statement following an execution in Singapore on 7 August 2026

Following the execution of a 79-year-old stateless man on 7 August 2026, the EU Delegation and the diplomatic missions of the EU Member States, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom reiterate our strong opposition to the use of capital punishment in all cases and in all circumstances.

This is the sixteenth execution carried out in Singapore this year.

The death penalty is incompatible with the inalienable right to life and the absolute prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment. Furthermore, it is a definitive punishment that makes possible miscarriages of justice irreversible.

International human rights law restricts the use of capital punishment to the most serious crimes, understood as crimes of extreme gravity involving intentional killing. Resorting to the death penalty to prevent drug production and trafficking does not meet this threshold. There is no conclusive evidence that the death penalty contributes to curbing or preventing drug trafficking more than other types of punishment.

We will continue to work for the abolition of the death penalty in the few countries that still apply it. We call for Singapore to adopt a moratorium on all executions as a first step towards its full abolition, in line with the trend in the Southeast Asian region and worldwide.

Joint Local Statement following an execution on 7 August 2026