Campaign Story

CPJP is an Australian not-for-profit organisation with a singular focus: abolishing the death penalty and other forms of state-sanctioned killing – for all people, in all circumstances. We are the only Australian organisation for whom this is the sole mission. We work through advocacy, case work, policy, and education, and always in partnership with local lawyers and activists on the ground, guided by their expertise and courage.

CPJP operates from a privileged position – a secure base in an abolitionist country – and that matters more than ever now, because the landscape for human rights defenders in our region is becoming increasingly difficult and dangerous. The lawyers and activists who we work with in Singapore fight the death penalty at real personal, professional, and legal risk.

Singapore's use of the death penalty violates international law. First, international human rights law strictly limits the death penalty to "the most serious crimes," which the United Nations has consistently interpreted to mean intentional killing. Drug-related offences do not meet this threshold. Second, Singapore operates a mandatory death penalty for certain, and small, quantities of drugs, stripping judges of discretion, and meaning a person can be sentenced to death regardless of their individual circumstances or role. Those being executed are not criminal masterminds running drug trafficking syndicates – they are most often drivers caught with a quantity of drugs considered small enough for personal use only in many jurisdictions, including Australia.

This is a matter of global public interest. The death penalty is irreversible. It is applied disproportionately to the most vulnerable people in society – often those who lack legal resources, who are foreign nationals, or who are low-level couriers rather than major traffickers. Singapore's war on drugs narrative is not evidence-based and keeps Singaporeans misinformed about drug use, harm reduction, and what the research actually shows. And it is increasingly recognised internationally as a serious human rights concern: at Singapore's most recent Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in May 2026, 40 member states made recommendations related to the death penalty, including calls for a moratorium with a view to abolition, more than at any previous UPR cycle.

Why This Campaign, and Why Now?

Right now, the global momentum is moving away from the death penalty, with four out of every five countries opposing the death penalty entirely or in practice. However, a small number of states continue to execute in defiance of such progress. As one of these countries, Singapore does this while also positioning itself as a regional hub.

The situation in Singapore is becoming more urgent – and more difficult – on multiple fronts at once.

The legal space is narrowing. Legislation such as the Post-appeal Applications in Capital Cases (PACC) Act has restricted the avenues available to people on death row to challenge their sentences. Lawyers and advocates who take on capital cases face increasing professional pressure, as well as financial and criminal risk.

Civil society space is shrinking. The Singaporean government has weaponised legislation against human rights defenders and abolitionist groups, including issuing correction orders and 'Declared Online Location' designations under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA). Those issued with corrections orders are legally required to place a prominent notice on their website or social media stating that they have communicated falsehoods, and that viewers should exercise caution when accessing their content for information. Failure to comply can result in significant fines and/or imprisonment. The onerous conditions and risks associated with POFMA directions and designations have led some abolitionist groups to cease their online presence, making it significantly harder to publicly document executions, support families, and inform the wider community. Singapore's main English-language newspaper, the Straits Times, rarely reports on executions or the death penalty. And when it does, it largely repeats the government narrative, meaning the government almost entirely controls the information on this topic.

The people who were most active in the fight from death row – providing information, motivating other prisoners, encouraging families to speak out – have all been executed in recent years.

And with 12 executions carried out by the middle of this year, 2026 will be the deadliest ever if this pace continues.

This is precisely the moment when CPJP's work is most needed: to be a public face in supporting and amplifying the advocacy of Singapore-based organisations, to educate the international legal community, and to maintain international pressure on Singapore's government.

The Work We'll Do

CPJP does not have individual clients in the traditional sense in this campaign. Our work is focused on law reform advocacy and systemic change. However, the ultimate beneficiaries of this work are the people currently on death row in Singapore – the majority of whom are there for drug offences – as well as their families, and all those charged with capital offences in the future.

Funds raised will support CPJP's advocacy campaign focused on Singapore's use of the death penalty. Specific activities include:

• Developing educational and informational materials about Singapore's death penalty practices, including the mandatory death penalty and fair trial concerns, to be hosted on the CPJP website and social media platforms (30%)
• Delivering information and education sessions for Australian and international lawyers and judges who have professional connections to Singapore (20%)
• Preparing submissions and statements for United Nations bodies, including UN Special Rapporteurs with relevant mandates (such as the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders) (20%)
• To develop and deliver the above, consultation with people with expertise on Singapore (30%).

Funds will not be used for any purpose that risks money laundering, terrorism financing, or breach of sanctions.

With 12 executions already this year, this work is urgent. This is work that is already underway and requires urgent support – we can guarantee it will proceed.

Any funds raised in excess of what is required for the activities described in this campaign will be used to support CPJP's broader advocacy work focused on ending the use of the death penalty in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. This includes ongoing education, submissions to UN mechanisms, and support for human rights defenders in the region. CPJP is a registered Australian charity with DGR status, and all funds are applied to delivering on our charitable purpose: the abolition of the death penalty.

We will communicate any change in the use of funds to donors via a campaign update.

We are committed to regular, transparent updates. We will post updates directly on the Article Two campaign page at key milestones. We also publish publicly on our website (www.cpjp.org.au), social media channels, and via our newsletter, which has a mailing list of almost 100,000 recipients. Donors are welcome to subscribe at https://www.cpjp.org.au/news to stay informed about the impact of their contributions and our broader program of work.

This is CPJP’s only crowdfunding campaign for our Singapore death penalty advocacy work. CPJP also accepts general donations via our website at www.cpjp.org.au/donate , which support the full breadth of our work across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

CPJP is a registered Australian charity with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, which means donations are tax deductible for Australian taxpayers. We will issue a receipt for all donations. Please note that the tax-deductible amount is the donation amount less the Stripe payment processing fee and the 5% platform fee retained by Article Two.