Singapore resists international pressure as it executes a 45 year old woman on drug charges. For a country with a modern reputation, why is its death penalty out of step with its peers?

 
Despite international condemnation and the objection of even Richard Branson, Singapore executed a woman for the first time in 20 years. What is Singapore’s stance on drugs?

Singapore executed a woman for the first time in almost 20 years.

The 45-year-old woman was found guilty of trafficking 30 grams of heroin in 2018.

She is the second drug convict to be executed over the past week.

Singapore has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug laws, which it says are necessary to protect society.

Singapore law specifies that the death penalty will be imposed on anyone caught trafficking more than 500g of cannabis or 15g of heroin.

But why does it maintain such a tough stance on drugs, even as its neighbours adopt a lighter stance?