- A Malaysian mother of nine was given the death sentence for death trafficking-related charges.
- Hairun Jalmani, 55, was charged in 2018 for possessing around four ounces of
meth .
A 55-year-old mother of nine was given the death sentence in
According to
It is a felony to possess meth in the US, too, though convictions instead involve jail terms of 10 years and up if one is caught with more than 50 grams of meth, with the intent to distribute the drugs. However, death sentences for drug-related crimes are not uncommon in Southeast Asia - a man in Singapore was recently given the death penalty after he was found with two pounds of cannabis.
A video that appears to show Hairun crying while being escorted out of a courtroom by a policewoman was circulated on TikTok by Seehua Daily, a Sabah-based news outlet. During the video, Hairun can be heard crying out and asking how her children will be cared for after her death, while the policewoman tells her to calm down.
Anyone caught with more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in Malaysia is presumed to be trafficking the drug unless evidence is provided to prove otherwise, per the country's Dangerous Drugs Act. According to human rights group Amnesty International Malaysia, Hairun was charged under a section of the act that carries a mandatory
"Hairun's life chances were stacked against her. She was a single mother in Malaysia's poorest state trying to support nine children," Amnesty International Malaysia said in a tweet. "Her case is an example of how Malaysia's death penalty punishes the poor with particular discriminations against women."
Amnesty International also noted a report that three people were executed in Malaysia last year on drug trafficking charges.