Outre sa cruauté inhérente, la peine de mort pour les infractions liées aux drogues n'est pas autorisée par le droit international. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

GENEVA (8 November 2021) ̶ UN human rights experts* today urgently appealed to Singapore to definitively halt the execution of Malaysian national Nagaenthran a/l K Dharmalingam, known as Naga, who has psychosocial disabilities.

He was originally scheduled to be executed on 10 November for drug offences.

“We note that a temporary stay has been granted today until a final appeal can be heard tomorrow. However, we are seriously concerned that, if the appeal is dismissed, he could still be executed imminently,” the experts said.

Mr. Nagaenthran a/l K Dharmalingam was apprehended in 2009 after he crossed the border carrying 42.72 grams of diamorphine a narcotic analgesic used in the treatment of severe pain. He was sentenced to death in 2010 and has been on death row since.

”We are concerned that Mr. Nagaenthran a/l K Dharmalingam did not have access to procedural accommodations for his disability during his interrogation. We further highlight that death sentences must not be carried out on persons with serious psychosocial and intellectual disabilities.”

“We are also concerned that his past 11 years on death row has reportedly caused further deterioration of his mental health.”

Under international law, countries which have retained the death penalty may only impose it for the most serious crimes, that is, those involving intentional killing, the human rights experts also stressed.

“Drug related offences do not meet this threshold,” they said. “Resorting to this type of punishment to prevent drug trafficking is not only illegal under international law, it is also ineffective. There is a lack of any persuasive evidence that the death penalty contributes more than any other punishment to eradicating drug trafficking.”

The experts urged Singapore to ensure Mr. Nagaenthran a/l K Dharmalingam is not executed and to commute his death sentence in accordance with international human rights law.

Singapore amended its drugs legislation in 2012, which allowed drug couriers to be sentenced to life imprisonment if they provide substantive assistance to the Public Prosecutor or if in cases of “abnormality of the mind.” In other cases, the death penalty remains mandatory.

“We urge Singapore to further reform its legislation to ensure the death penalty is never compulsory, as mandatory death sentences are inherently over-inclusive and unavoidably violate human rights law,” said the experts.

“We are further concerned by the decision to carry out an execution during the COVID-19 pandemic and the additional impact of the sentence on Mr. Nagaenthran a/l K Dharmalingam’s family members, who are having to make frantic arrangements to travel to Singapore. This may amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

“We have also asked Singapore to honour its commitment to release data on the death penalty,” added the experts. In its 2011 Universal Periodic Review, Singapore accepted a recommendation to make available statistics and other factual information on its use of capital punishment.

The experts have written to the Government of Singapore to express their concerns.

Singapour : les experts des Nations unies exigent l’annulation de l’exécution d’une personne en situation de handicap ayant commis des infractions liées aux drogues

La session a vu l'adoption de la nouvelle structure des groupes de travail et du groupe central du CSFD, mais le manque de financement de la structure est la source de vives inquiétudes. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

The CSFD mandate is renewed in 2021 and the CSFD now consists of 43 different CSOs, active in the field of drug demand reduction. The 2021 CSFD Plenary Meeting was organised on 6 and 7 October as a virtual session. It was attended by members of the CSFD, and representatives of the EC - DG Home and DG Sante.

An important element during this session was the adoption of the new Working Group Structure and the election of the new CSFD Core Group, consisting of the Chair, the Vice Chair and the four Working Group Coordinators.

"I am happy to renew my commitment in chairing this amazingly diverse and productive forum, and ready to face with our new representatives of the Core group the upcoming challenges in strengthening Civil Society’s meaningfull involvement. The previous forums built a strong and quite exemplary structure to make sure CSOs are heard, and the value of the forum is recognized and its contributions are very real ; making our gathered NGOs real stakeholders in Drug Policy’s framing and implementation throughout Europe. This mandate will have to keep that perspective, and endure."

"Thanks to the CSFD Project funding, the past year has been full of activities. However, once the project funding ends in only a few months, we must rely on our resources and commitment. As vice-chair, I will support the chair and other core group members. I will also ensure secretariat support to the CSFD, meaning the maintenance and update of the CSFD website and the internal and external communication flow. I, therefore, hope that you will continue sharing your valuable ideas and thoughts so that we can fulfil our essential role as the Civil Society Forum on Drugs."

"During the upcoming CSFD term, I hope we can continue to contribute to the improvement of the implementation of the EU Drug Strategy and Action Plan in the Member States, and further improve our relationships with the European Commission and other relevant stakeholders."

"I hope that WG2 will continue to be a useful partner of the EU external action in drug policies – bringing a clear focus on public health, human rights, and civil society and community participation."

 - Chair, WG3: Linkage to National Drug Policy

"I have been working in drug policy since 2003 and have broad experience in coordinating international projects. As the chair of WG3, I aim to effectively coordinate future work following the Forum's extensive knowledge gained from developing the Quality Standards of Civil Society Involvement report and survey."

 - Chair, WG4: Emerging Issues in Drug Policy

"The issue of drugs is complex and ever changing. I hope that we shall be attentive to emerging and cross-cutting issues that are of importance for people who use drugs and their societies around Europe and try to offer solutions to address them."



The four working groups had the opportunity to meet and discuss issues to be addressed in the forthcoming period; more information on this in the coming months.

Throughout the years, the CSFD has tried to receive structural funding from the EC. Internal EC regulations allow only the coverage of travel and hotel costs during CSFD plenary meetings. In light of this, a dedicated and mandated group of CSFD members applied for funding in the EC Justice - Drug Policy Initiative Programme in 2016 and 2018. Both grants were awarded and enabled the CSFD to expand its work. These two rounds of funding have been instrumental for the CSFD to become a prominent player in the drug policy debate at EU-level and build strong ties with EU institutions.

Unfortunately, the latest proposal sent to the EC for a grant covering the period 2022-2023 was rejected. This means that beyond February 2022, the CSFD will have to continue operating without any funding. This is deeply problematic. Without secretariat support and funding for the core group and the activities in the Working Groups, activities and impact of the CSFD will be limited.

The CSFD is now discussing alternative ways for funding and has reached out as well to different EU Member States for support. 

Le renouvellement du Forum de la société civile sur les drogues (CFSD) 2021-2023

La 10ème édition de l’Enquête comprend des questions portant sur les points de vue sur la réforme des politiques des drogues. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

Professor Judith Aldridge, University of Manchester And Dr Rebecca Askew, Manchester Metropolitan University

Drug policy is firmly on the global political agenda. Over the past decade we have seen changes to cannabis policy worldwide, an increase in drug related deaths connected to the opioid crisis, the introduction of safe consumption sites in several European countries, as well as Canada and Australia, and drug checking at festivals in the UK and Australia. Public opinion on drug policy reform is often sought to help understand support for change, as well as key concerns that people have about liberalising drug policy.

This year, Global Drug Survey wants to know about your experiences and opinions connected to drug policy and the law. How have drug laws impacted you? What do you think about policy approaches and their potential impact for individuals and communities?

This year GDS has teamed up with Professor Judith Aldridge and Dr Rebecca Askew, who are Manchester based criminologists working in the field of drug use and drug policy. While there are many public opinion polls that have attempted to gauge people’s views on drug policy and reform, there has been something of a stumbling block to doing this well. Many different things are understood by the words decriminalisation, legalisation and prohibition, so just asking survey respondents to say if they agree or disagree with these approaches doesn’t really help us to fully understand their views.

GDS2022 uses an entirely new approach, building on some of the insights of Dr Rebecca Askew’s UK-based Drug Policy Voices project. While opinions on drug policy are complex and sometimes contradictory, we’ve learned that getting to the bottom of the underlying beliefs and value orientations that drive people’s preferred policy approaches is key. This is important to communicate to policy makers, activists and drug policy reform organisations across the globe as their work informs policy.

This year, we’ll ask GDS respondents to tell us their opinions on the likely impact of three very different hypothetical approaches that governments could take to dealing with people who use and sell drugs: the impact on crime and public disorder, on drug usage rates, on health, on personal freedoms, on vulnerable people, on the economy and on trust in government. We also ask respondents to tell us their opinions on age restrictions, advertising, and personal freedoms to ‘grow your own.’ We know that some people avidly support changes to drug policy and others are more cautious; it is therefore important to understand the range of views in order to help policy makers, activists and others ensure that drug laws are both appropriate and just.

We also want to know not just what people’s drug policy preferences are, but how existing drug policies have impacted them. We know that many people who take drugs will have had negative experiences that arise from the drug policies in their countries, in connection to the police, staff in clubs and festivals, or in job or educational settings, and even when buying drugs from dealers. GDS2022 will help us to understand the consequences that drug laws and policies have for people who use drugs. By integrating public opinion and drug-related experiences, GDS will produce critically important knowledge to inform evolving global policy.

Go on… hit the link, take the survey.

It’s anonymous, confidential and encrypted. Your experiences will help inform others and influence change.

Stay safe, Professor Adam Winstock, Dr Monica Barratt, Dr Emma Davies & Associate Professor Jason Ferris, on behalf of all at GDS

L’Enquête mondiale de 2022 sur les drogues a été lancée – Les politiques des drogues et la loi : comprendre votre point de vue et vos expériences

Cette décision très attendue intervient alors que le pays est confronté à un nombre croissant de décès liés aux drogues. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

New York City is now the first city in the nation to open two overdose prevention centers that will allow drug users to receive medical care and services to prevent drug overdose deaths, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio's Office.
The overdose prevention centers (OPCs), also known as supervised consumption sites or safe injection sites, provide a safer place for drug users to administer drugs and get medical care if they overdose, the city said. The centers can also provide connections to treatment and social services to help in their recovery.

"After exhaustive study, we know the right path forward to protect the most vulnerable people in our city," de Blasio said in a release. "And we will not hesitate to take it. Overdose Prevention Centers are a safe and effective way to address the opioid crisis. I'm proud to show cities in this country that after decades of failure, a smarter approach is possible."

With two locations in upper Manhattan, the centers will exist as part of two previously established syringe service providers, the mayor's office said.

The two organizations, Washington Heights Corner Project and New York Harm Reduction Educators, will be forming a new organization called, OnPoint NYC, to run the sites, the New York City Health Department confirmed.

Les premiers centres de prévention des overdoses des États-Unis ouvrent à New York pour lutter contre les décès par overdoses

89 ONG soulignent la nécessité de s'attaquer aux impacts nocifs des politiques répressives en matière de drogues qui sapent les droits humains. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

To: Ms Ghada Waly, Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Subject: Open letter on UNODC statement on International Human Rights Day 2021

We urge you to mark International Human Rights Day 2021 by calling on Member States to change drug policies and practices that violate human rights and perpetuate inequality and discrimination.

We are writing to you ahead of International Human Rights Day 2021, which will take place on the 10th December amidst escalating global demands for the reform of laws and practices that entrench racial discrimination and social inequality, including drug policies. Last year, IDPC – together with dozens of other civil society and community organisations – called on you to issue a statement on International Human Rights Day urging Member States to change drug laws and practices that undermine health and human rights. A year later, we ask you to seize this day as an opportunity to show UNODC´s alignment with other UN entities in calling for an end to drug policies and practices that perpetuate inequality and discrimination, and violate human rights.

For decades, punitive drug policies have driven widespread human rights abuses, as has been amply documented by the UN. These include the death penalty for drug offences; extrajudicial killings; arbitrary detention, often masquerading as ‘rehabilitation’; the denial of access to life-saving harm reduction services; widespread barriers to accessing controlled medicines for pain relief; the criminalisation of people who use drugs, subsistence farmers and others groups in situations of vulnerability; corporal punishment; and mass incarceration. In all of these cases, draconian drug policies have disproportionately affected people marginalised on the basis of their gender, race, ethnicity, and economic status, thus entrenching inequality and discrimination.

Along 2021, a broad range of UN entities called on Member States to reform drug policies with discriminatory outcomes. In June 2021, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released a landmark study on arbitrary detention and drug polices, which found that ´

the war on drugs may be understood to a significant extent as a war on people. Its impact is often greatest on those who are poor, but also frequently overlaps with discrimination in law enforcement directed at vulnerable groups

´. At the same time, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a new ‘Agenda towards transformative change for racial justice and equality´, highlighting that ´

The discriminatory application of criminal law must be tackled at every stage, including by reforming drug-related policies

´. The High Commissioner´s proposal led to Human Rights Council Resolution 47/21, which contains key commitments to uproot systemic racism in the law enforcement and criminal justice systems. The Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, adopted in June 2021, also showcased the international community´s commitment to ending inequalities as a step towards ending AIDS. Lastly, the new UN system Common Position on Incarceration, led by UNODC in partnership with other UN entities, notes ‘

the overrepresentation of minority and marginalized groups among prisoners, many of whom are charged with petty and nonviolent offences

support reform efforts aimed at ensuring proportionate and individualized sentencing and alternatives to conviction or punishment in appropriate cases, including for minor drug-related offences

These various commitments emerging across the United Nations are aligned with the 2018 Chief Executives Board’s UN System Common Position on drug-related matters, which makes clear that ‘

should be designed and implemented by States in accordance with their human rights obligations

’, and commits all UN agencies, including UNODC, to support drug policies ‘

that put people, health, and human rights at the centre

Similar human rights concerns have been highlighted in the just-released Global Drug Policy Index, which measures and ranks the national drug policies of 30 countries according to how well they align with the UN system Common Position on Drugs and its Task Team report of March 2019.

The theme of the 2021 International Human Rights Day is ‘Equality: Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights’, and is aimed at ´

addressing and finding solutions for deep-rooted forms of discrimination that have affected the most vulnerable people in societies

´. As such, it presents a crucial opportunity for UNODC to align itself with other UN entities in calling for the end of policies that perpetuate inequality and discrimination, while highlighting its commitment to the promotion of human rights, in line with the UN system Common Positions.

It is in this context that we urge you to issue a strong statement on International Human Rights Day, calling on states to change the drug laws, policies and practices that violate health and human rights, and entrench inequality. To be credible, such a statement should explicitly acknowledge the disproportionate impact of drug laws and drug control on people marginalised on the basis of their gender, race, ethnicity, and economic status, and urge Member States to:

Abolish the death penalty in all circumstances. Imposing capital punishment for drug offences has been found to be contrary to international human rights law by the Human Rights Committee, and the Human Rights Council.

Put an immediate end to extrajudicial killings committed in the name of drug control, as has been repeatedly called for by the Human Rights Council and UN human rights experts.

Permanently close compulsory drug detention centres, including those that masquerade as ‘rehabilitation’, and implement voluntary, evidence-informed, and rights-based health and social services, as recently called for by sixteen UN agencies, including UNODC.

Stress the urgent need to provide accessible, affordable, and adequately funded harm reduction services in community and closed settings, to fulfil the right to health and the right to life of people who use drugs, as demanded by several UN human rights bodies and experts. This is also central to UNODC’s core role as lead UNAIDS co-sponsor regarding prisons and HIV amongst people who use drugs.

Take immediate measures to address prison overcrowding, as already recommended by UNODC and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, by promoting alternatives to incarceration, and ensuring proportionate sentencing for all drug offences, including by taking into account mitigating factors – in line with the basic principle that prisons should only be used as a last resort in all circumstances.

Ensure that people who use drugs are not subject to arbitrary detention, torture, or ill-treatment – whether in state custody or public or private drug services. While under detention, people with a drug dependence or health problems associated with their drug use must be offered evidence-based treatment, harm reduction and other drug services on a strictly voluntary basis.

Promote the end of all punishment for drug use, and drug possession and cultivation for personal use, as permitted within the three drug control conventions. Such policy shifts will help to end the stigma, criminalisation, and exclusion faced by people who use drugs, and to facilitate access to health and social services, as called for by the UN system Common Position, UNAIDS, and UN human rights bodies.

Make sure that drug policies incorporate a gender-sensitive perspective. This should be done by tailoring drug services to the specific needs of women, and by ensuring that criminal laws take into account the circumstances of women involved in drug offences, as most of them come from backgrounds of poverty, marginalisation, and oppression.

Clearly outline the ways in which UNODC will work to achieve these changes, and the measures being taken to ensure that human rights are effectively embedded as a core strand for all of the Office’s work.

As the lead UN agency in drug-related matters, UNODC has the responsibility to promote drug policies that respect, protect, and fulfil human rights, in a way that is consistent with the standards developed by the UN system, and in line with the commitments set in the UN system Common Positions on drugs and on incarceration. A strong statement in the forthcoming International Human Rights Day would be an important and welcome step to signal UNODC’s unequivocal commitment.

We look forward to discussing these concerns and recommendations with you.

Les ONG exhortent la Directrice exécutive de l'ONUDC à marquer la Journée des droits humains par un appel à la réforme des politiques en matière de drogues qui perpétuent les inégalités

Les organisations de la société civile du monde entier dénoncent un processus de développement entouré de secret et d'exclusion. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

By FAAAT (For Alternative Approaches to Addiction, Think & do tank)

Geneva, Vienna, and New-York, 2 December 2021 –

 Today, on the 1st anniversary of the historic UN cannabis vote serious concerns have been raised about how cannabis policy resulting from this landmark down-grading of international cannabis prohibition is unfolding.

International Narcotics Control Board (INCB)

 is creating documentation inside the drug control system to facilitate worldwide medicinal cannabis trade & research. However, 

INCB’s proposed global “Cannabis Guidelines”

 & the drafting process itself seem to contradict last year’s key scheduling vote by favouring an increase of restrictions.

INCB’s Guidelines will orient and shape governments’ regulations, impact the lives of many patients and farmers across the globe and undermine the work of doctors, health authorities, and many others. 

INCB’s rogue initiative threatens trust in a functioning legal order affirmed on 2 December 2020.

181 non-profit organizations from all over the globe have endorsed two letters, one addressed to the INCB President, Jagjit Pavadia and the other sent to inform UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, about the situation.

These letters spell out how we as civil society stakeholders want to help the INCB meet the challenges of our world. This is why we have compiled proposals inspired by successful working methods of the broader UN family. Our suggestions are summed up in six recommendations:

Disclose INCB documentation like other similar UN bodies;

Opt-in to the UN online documentation access and archival system;

Extend the civil society consultations to all areas of work of the Board;

Call for and collect written contributions from non-State actors;

Allow NGOs & non-State actors to participate as observers in INCB meetings;

Scale-up “country visits,” inspired in the human rights treaty bodies Annual Review Mechanism.

Last year on this day, UN took the bold step of removing cannabis from the strictest Schedule of the 1961 narcotic drug Convention treaty, 6 decades after its placement, 

recognizing the therapeutic value of this ancient medicinal plant and no longer considering it as “particularly liable to abuse and to produce ill effects.” 

The vote followed an independent scientific WHO assessment which reviewed evidence and multi-stakeholder testimonials from all corners of the world.

Conversely, since 2020, INCB has been developing its Guidelines in complete opacity raising concerns about the legitimacy and scope of the process, a fuzzy mandate, and risks of conflicts of interest. While not binding, these Guidelines will impact and shape regulations of cultivation, trade, production, and use of a traditional, herbal medicine and a plant indigenous to many regions of the world. 

It risks becoming a standard, particularly among smaller nations with less capacity to establish their own regulations.

global health, human rights, and sustainability

. We recognize INCB’s importance in helping governments 

ensure access to and availability of controlled medicines for all patients in need

 but INCB alone can not shape the economic, social, environmental, and cultural future of our communities.

Actualités

Singapour : les experts des Nations unies exigent l’annulation de l’exécution d’une personne en situation de handicap ayant commis des infractions liées aux drogues

Le renouvellement du Forum de la société civile sur les drogues (CFSD) 2021-2023

L’Enquête mondiale de 2022 sur les drogues a été lancée – Les politiques des drogues et la loi : comprendre votre point de vue et vos expériences

Les premiers centres de prévention des overdoses des États-Unis ouvrent à New York pour lutter contre les décès par overdoses

Les ONG exhortent la Directrice exécutive de l'ONUDC à marquer la Journée des droits humains par un appel à la réforme des politiques en matière de drogues qui perpétuent les inégalités

Initiative de l'OICS sur le cannabis : 181 ONG de 56 pays appellent à la transparence et à la responsabilité