Johannes van Damme
Johannes van Damme | |
|---|---|
| File:Johannes van Damme.jpg Johannes van Damme | |
| Born | 1 June 1935 |
| Died | 23 September 1994 (aged 59) |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Occupation | Engineer, businessman |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | Drug trafficking |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
Johannes van Damme (1 June 1935 – 23 September 1994) was a Dutch engineer and businessman executed in Singapore for drug trafficking. He was the first European to be executed in Singapore since its independence.
Biography
Van Damme had lived in Nigeria for a while and was married to a Nigerian woman at the time of his arrest. He was arrested on 27 September 1991, at Singapore Changi Airport. In a secret compartment of his trunk, 4.32 kilograms (9.5 lb) of heroin was found. Van Damme claimed he had been framed by his Nigerian engineer partner, but this claim was rejected by the court.
In November 1993, his appeal was rejected, and the sentence was upheld. A plea for clemency from the Dutch government was rejected by the president of Singapore, Ong Teng Cheong. A letter from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was also sent to the president in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent van Damme from being executed.[1]
He was hanged at Changi Prison on the morning of 23 September 1994.[2] That same year, Mat Repin was also executed by hanging on 13 May 1994, for having smuggled 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of cannabis from Malaysia.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Last-ditch appeals fail to save drugs man from gallows, The Herald, 23 September 1994
- ^ "Singapore Executes a Dutch Engineer Arrested on Drug Charges". The New York Times. 24 September 1994. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
- ^ Amnesty International Report 1995 – Singapore
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