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Mandatory Death Sentence - Is This Ever Acceptable

I'm curious what people think about a mandatory death sentence. In Singapore, a young Australian man is about to be hanged for trying to smuggle nearly 400 grams of Heroin through Singapore's Changi Airport.

Tafficking offences in Singapore incur a mandatory death sentence by hanging. I'm not certain of the specifics of this law, eg. how much drugs you need to be caught with and what types.

This case has caused a lot of controversy in Australia because Van Nguyen is only 25, has never committed a drug offence before and was apparently reformed and remorseful after the three years he spent in a Singapore prison. He also claims he only committed the offence to raise money to pay his twin brother's debts.

Is the capture of 400gms of heroin worth murdering someone by hanging? Are there any crimes that should incur a mandatory death sentence? And is hanging still an acceptable form of punishment?

Personally, I think capital punishment should be outlawed. It makes the authority as bad as the criminals. I've also heard criminals would much prefer death to life in prison, so a lengthy jail term would be just as much a deterrent.

It really doesn't matter what reason Mr Nguyen offered to commit this offence. He should be punished for it, but not killed. In south east Asia drug offences often receive a worse punishment than manslaughter, rape or sometimes even murder. Singapore will not achieve anything by killing Nguyen. He is merely a drug mule at the very bottom of the food chain. He will be easily replaced. If they were serious about eradicating drugs they would go after the commanders (drug barons) not their desperate little foot soldiers.

Acceptable This - Sentence Death Mandatory

What is the Australian government doing about it?. I think this is terrible. I do not think he should be hanged but he should be condemn to whatever years are necessary but definetly not death. Mandatory death sentence is not acceptable in my opinion, even more if the person in question is a foreigner caught in another country with a crazy law like this one.

Mandatory Death Sentence - Is This Ever Acceptable History & Civil Business Politics

The Australian Government has pursued all diploatic avenues to have the sentence changed. But they stopped short of trying to bring the case before the International Criminal Court. They have also refused to raise the issue at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, a place which would be appropriate.

The problem with our Government is that Singapore is a big trading partner with Australia and the Howard Government is trying to secure a deal with Singapore Airlines, which is owned by the Singapore Government.

I don't know if there is much they could do anyway, but I'm disappointed they didn't try everything they could.

Acceptable This - Sentence Death Mandatory

This is very sad. It seems it is more important for them to secure a deal and make money than to save a citizen's life. That's scary. What about human rights organizations?. They should be doing something about it.

Acceptable This - Sentence Death Mandatory

What a sick world we live in hey. I think the Government is in a difficult position. They say making an example out of Singapore will just harden their resolve to go through with this horrendous act. This is probably true.

But I always believe that you try everything you can to save someone's life and our trade relationship with Singapore is not relevant to this matter. Human rights organisations are crying foul, but they have been for a long time over Singapore's draconian laws.

Mandatory Death Sentence - Is This Ever Acceptable

I do think that the death sentence is appropriate for some crimes, particularly premeditated murder, predatory murder, and some (many) cases of rape.

However, I don't think that mandatory death sentences are EVER appropriate.

In this particular instance, it almost sounds as if the drug lords have managed to pervert the laws to protect themselves, while allowing the country to appear to be very tough on drugs.

Placing harsh sentences on the mules does absolutely nothing to the flow of drugs. The only real ways to eliminate drugs is to eliminate the demand for them or completely destroy the source. But that is a different topic.

I certainly don't think that Singapore's laws are just and/or equitable. And mandatory death sentences are a good example of this.

Mandatory Death Sentence - This Acceptable

Nighthawk I think you are spot on. Singapore's government wants to show its people thay are tough on drugs without doing the hard work to prevent its flow.

I've learnt overnight that Howard has informally spoken to Singapore's prime minister. He has let it be known that an execution will have repercussions in the form of boycotts on Singapore products. Singapore has said they will not recognise any case brought before the ICC so that option is pointless.

Only a miracle can save this young man now.

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CALIFORNIA EXECUTES 76-YEAR-OLD KILLER

California executed its oldest condemned inmate early Tuesday for arranging a triple murder 25 years ago to silence witnesses in another killing.
Ref. https://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/01/17/allen.ex...n.ap/index.html