Excerpts from a letter by former Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam

“When I entered office in 2009, I quickly came to realize that use of the death penalty in Mongolia had been arbitrary, secretive and cruel. As was my presidential prerogative, I initially granted pardons to all those scheduled for execution.


Against some resistance, I initiated the legislative process for full abolition, which was finally accomplished in 2016. Mongolia’s signing of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the removal of the death penalty from all relevant national statutes is still one of the proudest moments of my political career.”



We were not the only country to move away from the use of capital punishment. By the end of 2022, more than two-thirds of the world’s nations had done away with the practice, according to the Washington, DC-based Death Penalty Information Center…

Despite a small number of countries (20) actually completing executions last year, executions are still on the rise in much of the world, due to a few prominent outliers including Iran and Saudi Arabia.

This is why I have been following Singapore’s frequent use of the death penalty with growing concern. Since resuming executions in March 2022 (following the height of the Covid-19 pandemic), Singapore has executed 16 individuals – all for drug offenses.

The country’s heavy-handed approach raises important moral and ethical questions, while doing little to deter crime or make Singaporeans safer than they already are. Research from Amnesty International found no evidence that the death penalty deterred crime more than life imprisonment

“The truth is that capital punishment is not an inevitable part of Asia’s political and judicial reality. Ending it is not an imposition of Western values on our societies. It’s a choice inspired by universal human rights – one that has been made by the majority of the world’s nations.”

“While President Tharman has not shared his views on capital punishment publicly, he noted his support for giving people “second, third and fourth chances” at a forum last month – perhaps opening the door for a reversal to the government’s hard-line policy.

We all share a sincere desire to see our nations continue to prosper. Singapore will be better off without the death penalty.”