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Singapore’s High Court has dismissed the first constitutional challenge in 15 years against the country’s mandatory death penalty for certain drug offences, ruling that the law does not violate rights to life, equality, or the separation of powers.
Photo source: Wesley Tingey, via Unsplash, February 12th, 2023.
30-01-2026 | Roberta Moisuc | Asia Team Researcher, Global Human Rights Defence.
On December 16th, 2025, Singapore’s High Court had dismissed the first legal challenge in 15 years to the mandatory death penalty for certain drug crimes.
The petition was filed on October 28th, 2025, by human rights activists and relatives of three executed drug convicts. They argued that the mandatory death penalty violates Singapore’s constitution, which guarantees the right to life and equal protection under the law, and was a disproportionate punishment that undermined judicial discretion during sentencing. Singapore mandates the death penalty for trafficking specific drugs, such as 500 grams of cannabis or 15 grams of heroin, with 17 prisoners facing execution in 2025 and 40 others currently on death row.
The judge ruled that their constitutional rights have not been infringed, claiming that the grounds of emotional or ideological interests are not sufficient. The judge found that the death penalty was imposed after a fair trial, as it was allowed by legislative safeguards that permit judicial discretion in these types of cases. Additionally, the judge claimed that Parliament is allowed to impose the death penalty on drug trafficking cases as it does not breach any constitutional laws.
The ruling came with disappointment for the petitioners. Previous legal challenges to the law, including one in 2010, have also been unsuccessful. As of January 27th, 2026, an anti-death penalty group is currently seeking to meet appeal costs and challenge the December 2025 ruling. The group estimates total costs for the High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings to be no less than $47,000, out of which only half has been raised. The group noted that, while they retain the right to appeal, it entails a substantial cost, and they are currently working to acquire the funds by February 10th, 2026.
