Capital punishment in Singapore

Capital punishment in Singapore is a legal penalty. Executions in Singapore are carried out by long drop hanging,^[1] and usually take place at dawn. Thirty-three offences—including murder, drug trafficking, terrorism, use of firearms and kidnapping—warrant the death penalty under Singapore law.

In 2012, Singapore amended its laws to exempt some offences from the mandatory death sentence.^[2] In a 2005 survey by The Straits Times, 95% of Singaporeans were of the view that their country should retain the death penalty.^[3] The support steadily fell throughout the years due to the increasing liberal opinions of society. Despite the decline, a large majority of the public remains supportive of the use of the death penalty, with more than 80% of Singaporeans believing that their country should retain the death penalty in 2021.^[4]

The most recent execution to be conducted in Singapore took place on 28 February 2024, when 35-year-old Ahmed Salim, a Bangladeshi national, was hanged for the murder of his former fiancée back in 2018.^[5]