ISTANBUL

Singapore executed a 35-year-old dual citizen of the city-state and Iran on Friday for drug trafficking, despite an appeal by Tehran, marking the country's fourth execution in just three weeks.

Singaporean-Iranian Masoud Rahimi Mehrzad was convicted in 2013 of possessing over 31 grams of diamorphine, or heroin in its pure form, surpassing the 15-gram (roughly 0.5 ounces) threshold, mandating the death penalty under Singapore's stringent drug laws.

Despite numerous appeals, including a final bid dismissed by the Court of Appeal a day before his execution, his sentence was upheld.

In rejecting the last-minute appeal, a justice of the court said there was "clearly no justification to stay the scheduled execution and no basis to grant Mr. Masoud’s ... application for permission to review under the Criminal Procedure Code."

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had appealed to Singaporean authorities on Thursday to "reconsider the execution" citing "humanitarian concerns" while expressing respect for Singapore’s legal system.

This year, Singapore has carried out nine executions, predominantly for drug offenses. Since resuming executions in March 2022 after a COVID-induced hiatus, 25 individuals have been executed.

Capital punishment remains a legal penalty for 33 offenses in Singapore, including murder, drug trafficking, and terrorism.

Critics, including human rights organizations and the UN, argue that executing individuals for drug-related crimes fails as a deterrent, urging Singapore to abolish the death penalty.