According to AFP , on November 22, hanged a Malaysian sentenced to transport drugs, despite humanitarian calls from neighboring countries because the sentence was too heavy for a trafficker. Low-level drugs.

Singapore has long been known for its strict enforcement of laws, especially the harsh sentence for drug-related crimes.

The island government maintains that the death penalty is an effective deterrent to crime despite criticism from human rights groups.

The hangman was Abd Helmi Ab Halim, a Malaysian citizen sentenced to death in 2017 for transporting 16.56 grams of heroin from Malaysia to Singapore.

Mr. N. Surendan of Malaysia’s group of human rights lawyers, a non-governmental organization, said the execution of the hangman in this case was "extremely inappropriate".

"He is a low-level drug transporter and the amount of drug he is accused of transporting is insignificant," Surendan told AFP,  adding that the amount of drugs Ab Halim carries is only very small. 15 grams threshold for the death penalty.

Malaysia also has the death penalty, but the radical government came to power last year saying it will relax policies that could abolish mandatory death sentences on a number of crimes, executions. Planning ahead is also delayed.

Earlier this week, Malaysian Law Minister Liew Vui Keong called on Singapore to reconsider the hangman, saying "it is heartbreaking to see a countryman executed, in a situation that is not truly convincing".

"Justice must be tempered with altruism, and I beg Singapore to do so," said Keong.

After the execution, the Singapore state newspaper from the Straits Times stressed that the island nation has the right to execute the death penalty for drug offenses and hopes other countries will respect Singapore’s laws.

"Singapore’s laws apply equally to everyone, regardless of whether the offender is a Singaporean or a foreigner," the interior ministry and the Singapore law department said in a joint statement.

Amnesty International recorded 13 executions in 2018 in Singapore, 11 of which were linked to drug offenses.