Two Singaporeans sentenced to death for drug trafficking in China, foreign ministry providing assistance
- Siti Aslina Junaidi and Mohd Yusri Mohd Yussof were arrested in 2015 for allegedly smuggling 11kg of methamphetamine
- They were given the death sentence in July, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs giving them consular assistance since their detention
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday said two Singaporeans who were found guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced to death by a court in China earlier this year have been receiving consular assistance, including regular visits and ensuring they have “appropriate legal assistance”.
Siti Aslina Junaidi, 35, and Mohd Yusri Mohd Yussof, 44, were arrested in Shenzhen in October 2015 and later convicted on unspecified charges, although news reports said it was for allegedly smuggling 11kg of methamphetamine in 28 women’s handbags inside their suitcases.
Their death sentences were not meted out until July, nearly five years after their arrests. According to a CNN report, Yusri’s sentence was suspended for two years and it might be downgraded to life imprisonment.
The ministry said the Singapore Consulate-General in Guangzhou “has been rendering consular assistance” to both since their arrest in 2015, “including visiting them regularly until the Covid-19 outbreak this year and ensuring that they have, in accordance with their legal rights, access to necessary medical attention”.
The ministry said it had also been in contact with the families of the two “to provide consular support, including as recent as this week”.