A Malaysian man convicted of smuggling drugs into Singapore was executed on Wednesday despite calls from human rights advocates and global business leaders who said he should was spared because he was mentally handicapped.
Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, 34, was executed by hanging, according to his lawyer, M. Ravi. He was arrested in 2009 with about 1.5 ounces of heroin strapped to his thigh when he entered Singapore from Malaysia.
His lawyers and rights group said that Mr. Nagaenthran was mentally retarded and not fully capable of understanding his actions and that he was forced to carry drugs.
Among those urging Singapore to continue the executions was the prime minister of Malaysia, Ismail Sabri Yaakob; British billionaire founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson; and Malaysian businessman and CEO of AirAsia, Tony Fernandes. More than 100,000 people have signed a petition urged Singapore’s president, Halimah Yacob, to pardon him.
Maya Foa, director of Reprieve, one of the rights groups, said: “Nagaenthran Dharmalingam’s name will go down in history as the victim of a tragic lapse of justice. “To hang an intellectually disabled, unhealthy man because he was forced to carry less than three tablespoons of diamorphine is unjustified and a clear violation of international law.”
Mr. Nagaenthran was sentenced to death a decade ago. On appeal, the courts rejected his argument that his sentence should be overturned because of his disability. Singapore’s Home Office said Mr Nagaenthran was given a fair trial and the court found his actions “acts of a criminal mind”.
The ministry said: “Nagaenthran was found to have understood the nature of his actions and that he had not lost his ability to judge the right or wrong of what he was doing.
According to an affidavit filed by Mr Nagaenthran’s brother last year, his mental state deteriorated while in prison, leaving him disoriented and unable to recall conversations that had taken place minutes before. there.
Singapore’s High Court granted the stay in November, but the Court of Appeal cleared the way for Tuesday’s execution. It was done early Wednesday.
Singapore, an island nation of nearly 6 million people, has some of the toughest drug laws in the world, arguing that the death penalty is a deterrent to drug trafficking. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Monday said it was “deeply concerned” by the increase in executions in Singapore, and had joined calls for Mr Nagaenthran’s release.
“The use of the death penalty for drug-related crimes is inconsistent with international human rights law,” human rights office said.
