Quora Answer: How is a Foreign Drug Trafficker Executed in Singapore?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “How is the execution carried out when a foreigner is sentenced to death for drug dealing in Singapore?” 

When a person is sentenced to death, and the appeals process is exhausted, the person is hanged.  Hangings take place on Fridays, just before first light.  The Criminal Procedure Code states that the condemned is hanged until dead.  This means a person who survives a hanging, such as the unlikely occurrence that the rope breaks, will not be granted a reprieve.  Contrary to what many belief, death is not by asphyxiation, but by the breaking of the neck, due to the force of the drop.  This is instantaneous, and much more merciful.  The corpse is cut down, and a doctor will examine it, confirming death.  The body is then released to the family for burial.  The process is the same regardless of whether it is a Singaporean or a foreigner.