Singapore is set to execute a 45-year-old woman, Saridewi Djamani, for drug trafficking, marking the first execution of a woman in the country in almost two decades.

She was found guilty of trafficking 30g of heroin in 2018.

This comes just three days after another Singaporean, Mohd Aziz bin Hussain, was executed for trafficking 50g of heroin. Singapore’s strict anti-drug laws impose the death penalty for trafficking over 15g of heroin and 500g of cannabis.

Critics, including British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, have condemned Singapore’s use of the death penalty, arguing that it does not serve as an effective deterrent against crime.

Saridewi’s case has drawn attention from human rights advocates who claim that the death penalty has no unique deterrent effect and that it defies international safeguards.

Singapore’s authorities defend their tough stance on drugs, asserting that it helps maintain the country’s low crime rate and public safety.

However, anti-death penalty advocates dispute this claim, stating that the evidence does not support the idea that capital punishment curbs drug-related offenses.

As one of the few countries actively carrying out drug-related executions, Singapore’s decision to execute Saridewi sparks renewed debate over the use of the death penalty in drug cases.