A Malaysian man with learning difficulties convicted of drug trafficking has been sentenced to death in Singapore, despite a legal challenge from his mother and pleas from around the world to let him go. life is spared.
Nagaenthran Dharmalingam was sentenced to death more than a decade after he was arrested in 2009 for trying to smuggle 44g (1.5 oz) of heroin into Singapore.
The country has some of the strictest drug laws in the world, and its government says the use of the death penalty for drug offenses has been made clear across its borders.
The 34-year-old’s lawyers have filed multiple appeals against his execution saying he has an IQ of 69 and has an intellectual disability.
However, the courts determined that he knew what he was doing at the time of his crime, and ruled that there was no admissible evidence of any deterioration in his condition. his psyche.
His brother Navin Kumar, 22, confirmed the execution took place.
The family said Dharmalingam’s body will be brought back to his hometown in the northern state of Perak, where preparations for his funeral have been made.
His mother filed a legal challenge asking the Singapore court to stop the execution but it was refused, clearing the way for a sentence by hanging.
After Tuesday’s trial, Dharmalingam and his family slipped through a gap in the glass screen to hold each other’s hands as they cried.
His “ghost” cry could be heard around the courtroom.
Panchalai Supermaniam, mother of Dharmalingam, was in tears after the Supreme Court’s final appeal was unsuccessful
Amnesty International Malaysia said on Twitter, calling for the fight against the death penalty to continue in his memory.
The death penalty group, Reprieve, called it a “tragic justice”.
Protests have taken place in Singapore against the verdict, with protesters calling for clemency.
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Dharmalingam’s case attracted global attention, with a group of United Nations experts and British billionaire Richard Branson joining the Malaysian Prime Minister and human rights activists urging Singapore to reduce his sentence.
The Singapore government says the death penalty is a deterrent against drug trafficking and most of the country’s citizens support the death penalty.
