Yong Vui Kong v. Public Prosecutor and the Mandatory Death Penalty for Drug Offences in Singapore: A Dead End for Constitutional Challenge?

The article examines conditional challenges to the mandatory death sentence in Singapore, with particular reference to the case of Yong Vui Kong. It discusses whether the Court of Appeal was too hasty in disregarding more recent jurisprudence of the Privy Council, which held the mandatory death sentence as a form of inhumane treatment or punishment. It also examines the customary international law prohibition of the mandatory death penalty, and the imposition of the mandatory death penalty for drug offences as a breach of equality guarantee in Singapore’s constitution. The article reveals a dismal failure for a nuanced and sensible approach towards drug crime in Singapore in that the latest case closes off too many avenues for constitutional litigation.