Editing Capital punishment (section)

===Drug trafficking===
{{main|Capital punishment for drug trafficking}}
[[File:CKS Airport drugs sign.JPG|thumb|Sign at the [[Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport]] warning that drug trafficking is a capital crime in the Republic of China (2005)]]
In 2018, at least 35 countries retained the death penalty for drug trafficking, drug dealing, drug possession and related offences. People had been regularly sentenced to death and executed for drug-related offences in China, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Vietnam. Other countries may retain the death penalty for symbolic purposes.<ref name="Girelli-2019">{{Cite book|last=Girelli|first=Giada|title=The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2018|publisher=Harm Reduction International|year=2019|isbn=978-0-9935434-8-7|location=London}}</ref>

The death penalty was mandated for drug trafficking in Singapore and Malaysia. Since 2013, Singapore ruled that those who were certified to have diminished responsibility (e.g. [[major depressive disorder]]) or acting as drug couriers and had assisted the authorities in tackling drug-related activities, would be sentenced to life imprisonment instead of death, with the offender liable to at least 15 strokes of the cane if he was not sentenced to death and was simultaneously sentenced to caning as well.<ref name="Tang"/><ref name="channelnewsasia.com"/> Notably, drug couriers like [[Yong Vui Kong]] and [[Cheong Chun Yin]] successfully applied to have their death sentences replaced with life imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane in 2013 and 2015 respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Selina|last=Lum|date=24 November 2013|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/a-street-urchins-journey-to-death-row-and-back|title=A street urchin's journey to Death Row and back|website=The Straits Times|access-date=16 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=20 April 2015 |url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/two-convicted-drug-traffickers-escape-gallows-imprisoned-life |title=Duo who trafficked heroin escape gallows, get life in prison |newspaper=Today }}</ref>

In April 2023, legislation abolishing the mandatory death penalty was passed in Malaysia.<ref name=abcapr2023/>