Yen May Woen

Yen May Woen
Born
Yen May Woen

1966
Singapore
Died19 March 2004 (aged 37)
Changi Prison, Singapore
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Resting placePurewa Cemetery[1]
Other namesJoelle Yen
OccupationHairdresser
Criminal statusExecuted
Parents
  • Yen Sin Si (father)
  • Ho Phew Leng (mother)
Conviction(s)Drug trafficking (one count)
Criminal chargeTrafficking of 30.16 g (1.064 oz) of diamorphine
PenaltyDeath (mandatory; x1)

Yen May Woen (颜美云 Yán Měiyún;[a] 1966 – 19 March 2004) was a Singaporean hairdresser and drug trafficker. Yen was charged with drug trafficking in May 2002 after she was caught earlier that month for carrying 120 sachets, each containing 30.16g of heroin. Yen claimed that she did not know about the drugs, which were found in a bag she claimed she got from a friend. She was found guilty in March 2003 and sentenced to death upon conviction.[2] Yen appealed to overturn her conviction and death sentence, but it was dismissed, and she was eventually hanged on 19 March 2004.[3] For the next 19 years, Yen remained the last woman to be executed in Singapore before Saridewi Djamani was hanged on 28 July 2023 for drug trafficking.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ "Joelle May Woen". Purewa Cemetery. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  2. ^ "女美发师 带毒乘德士 被逮捕 判死刑". 新明日报 (Xin Ming Ri Bao) (in Chinese). 20 March 2003.
  3. ^ "Pengedar dadah, pembunuh jalani hukuman gantung". Berita Harian (in Malay). 20 March 2004.
  4. ^ "Singapore set to execute two convicted drug traffickers, including first woman in 20 years, this week". Coconuts. 24 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Amnesty International calls for urgent stay as Singapore prepares to execute first woman in 20 years". The Independent. 25 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Singapore executes woman for first time in almost two decades". The Guardian. 28 July 2023.


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