Malaysian Nagaenthran executed for drug trafficking in Singapore

Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, an intellectually disabled Malaysian who was convicted of drug trafficking in 2010 and whose case attracted worldwide attention, has been executed at Singapore's Changi Prison.

Nagaenthran, who had been arrested after police found a package of 42.7 grams of heroin strapped to his thigh, was hanged just before dawn on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera.

The Malaysian's execution came after the Court of Appeal rejected the 33-year-old man's mother's request to prevent her son's execution. The judges said her last-minute request was «vexatious».

Last month, the Court described the legal efforts to save Naga's life as a 'flagrant abuse» of the judicial process, and found it »inappropriate to engage in or encourage last-minute attempts« to delay or halt an execution.

The Nagaenthran case drew the world's attention to the fact that Singapore continues to apply the death penalty, particularly in cases of drug trafficking, and rekindled the debate in the city-state itself.

Mr. Ravi, a lawyer who represented Nagaenthran, expressed his grief following Wednesday's execution on Twitter, saying, «Om Shanti, may your soul rest in peace.»

He added: «You can break us, but you can't defeat us. Our fight against the death penalty continues.»

"You may break us, but not defeat us. Our fight against the death penalty continues." Om Shanti, may your soul rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/034zpO1ssA

- M.Ravi (@MRavilaw) April 26, 2022

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On Monday, a few hundred people demonstrated their opposition to the death penalty by gathering in a Singapore park. Small demonstrations also took place in front of the Singaporean embassy in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysian government, UN experts, the European Union, several civil society associations and celebrities, including Richard Branson, had also asked for Naga's life to be spared.

No one with a disability should be treated this way. Help us save him: https://t.co/0Nvyl7NmVS@reprieve @stephenfry #SaveNagaenthran #Singapore

- Richard Branson (@richardbranson) April 22, 2022

«The use of the death penalty for drug-related offences is incompatible with international human rights law,» wrote the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). in a statement calling on Singapore to suspend Naga's execution.

«Countries that have not yet abolished the death penalty can only impose it for the «most serious crimes», which is interpreted as crimes of extreme gravity involving intentional murder.»

Further executions planned

Singapore also plans to hang Datchinamurthy Kataiah, another Malaysian convicted of drug offences, on Friday, in what OHCHR says appears to be «an alarming acceleration of execution notices in the country«. Abdul Kahar Othman, a Singaporean also convicted of drug-related offences, was hanged on March 30, the first person executed by the country in two years.

According to the United Nations, at least three other men convicted of drug-related offenses, Roslan bin Bakar, Rosman bin Abdullah and Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, are facing imminent execution.

In a declaration, Erwin van der Borght, director of Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific program, described Nagaenthran's execution as 'a shameful act by the Singapore government» and said it was »pursuing a cruel path that runs counter to the global trend towards abolition of the death penalty».

Singapore has one of the toughest drug laws in the world, and claims that the death penalty acts as a deterrent. According to the UN, more than 50 people are on death row in Singapore.

«This deterrent has been repeatedly discredited, and there is no evidence that the death penalty is more effective in reducing crime than life imprisonment,» said Amnesty's van der Borght. «Punitive drug policies that impose harsh sentences have been shown to harm people rather than protect them from the problems caused by drugs.»

Malaysia and Indonesia also impose death sentences for drug-related crimes, but the Malaysia has reviewed its use in such cases, and currently applies a moratorium on executions.