Civil Society
Activist Jolovan Wham charged for attending vigils for executed drug offenders
Activist Jolovan Wham was charged on 3 February with five counts of attending public assemblies without a permit, related to vigils held for drug traffickers executed between 2022 and 2023. Wham’s case has been adjourned for investigations, with a court return scheduled for 1 April.

SINGAPORE: Activist Jolovan Wham, 45, was charged on 3 February with five counts of attending public assemblies without a permit, related to vigils held ahead of executions for drug offences between 2022 and 2023.
He faces charges under the Public Order Act for his participation in these assemblies.
As reported by CNA, according to the charge sheets, Wham attended vigils to “mark” the executions of four men, all of whom had been convicted of trafficking significant amounts of illegal drugs.
Wham’s first charge stems from his alleged participation in a vigil for Abdul Kahar Othman on 29 March 2022, near a bus stop opposite Changi Women’s Prison.
Abdul Kahar had been convicted of trafficking over 66 grams of diamorphine and was executed the following day.
Wham’s second charge relates to his attendance at vigils for Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, who was executed on 27 April 2022. Nagaenthran had been convicted of attempting to smuggle heroin into Singapore in 2009.
In a similar fashion, Wham is also accused of attending vigils for Nazeri Lajim and Tangaraju Suppiah.
Nazeri, who was convicted of trafficking over 33 grams of diamorphine, was executed on 22 July 2022, while Tangaraju, convicted in 2018 for trafficking 1kg of cannabis, was executed on 26 April 2023.
Wham’s case has been adjourned pending the completion of investigations, and he is scheduled to return to court on 1 April.
For participating in a public assembly without a permit, the penalty is a fine of up to S$3,000, but as a repeat offender, Wham could face a fine of up to S$5,000.
Wham was surprised with five charges during a police interview about his participation in a vigil
These vigils have sparked a heated debate over Singapore’s use of the death penalty, especially in the context of drug trafficking.
While the government maintains that the capital punishment serves as a deterrent to drug crimes, critics argue that it is inhumane and fails to address the root causes of drug abuse.
Wham, who has long been an advocate for human rights and a vocal critic of Singapore’s harsh drug laws, had previously spoken out about his opposition to capital punishment.
On 27 January 2025, he revealed through an Instagram post that he had been summoned to the Bedok Police Division and faced five charges related to his participation in these vigils.
In a video posted on 23 January, Wham described being confronted by a police officer while holding a vigil outside Changi Prison. He and others were there following the execution of Syed Suhail bin Syed Zin, a 48-year-old Singaporean, that same morning.
View this post on Instagram
According to a statement released by Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau on 23 January, Syed Suhail was executed after being convicted of trafficking at least 38.84 grams of diamorphine, or pure heroin.
Singapore enforces strict drug laws, and trafficking over certain quantities can result in the death penalty.
The Online Citizen (TOC) understands from Wham that he had initially been asked to provide a statement regarding his participation in the vigil for Syed Suhail.
However, upon arriving for the interview, he was unexpectedly presented with five charges without any prior notice, following an unsuccessful attempt to postpone the interview until after the Lunar New Year.
TOC asked if there had been any changes in how suspects are notified of such appointments and whether this represented a deviation from past practices. TOC also understands that other activists have been called for further interviews with the police, and they speculate that they might also be handed charges in a similar manner.
No response had been provided as of the time of this article’s publication.
International scrutiny over Singapore’s use of the death penalty
In 2019, Wham was fined for organising a public assembly without a permit during an event titled Civil Disobedience and Social Movements.
In 2021, he was again fined for holding a protest on an MRT train to commemorate the 1987 Marxist Conspiracy. Both times, Wham opted to serve jail sentences in lieu of paying the fines.
In February 2022, Wham was handed a fine of S$3,000 for participating in another illegal assembly outside the State Courts, where he briefly held up a sign commemorating Operation Spectrum. In this instance, he chose to serve a 15-day jail term instead of paying the fine.
Wham’s case has drawn attention both within Singapore and abroad, where human rights groups have consistently condemned the death penalty’s use in the country.
The charges against Wham come in the wake of growing international scrutiny over Singapore’s execution practices.
The European Union, alongside diplomatic missions from Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, condemned the execution of Syed Suhail, who was put to death on 23 January.
The statement called for a moratorium on executions, citing concerns over human rights and the irreversible nature of capital punishment.

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