Nagaenthran to be hanged in Singapore next week, says lawyer

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian death row inmate Nagaenthran Dharmalingam is scheduled to be executed in Singapore next week, says lawyer M. Ravi.

"Just received the heartbreaking news that Nagaenthran will be hanged next Wednesday (April 27).

ALSO READ: Singaporean court rejects Nagaenthran's bid to challenge death sentence

"The Singapore state will never be able to recover from the disgrace it’s going to face internationally in hanging an intellectually disabled person," the prominent human rights lawyers said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (April 20).

Ravi, who was Nagaenthran’s former lawyer, remained critical of the case.

"Everything from the beginning is wrong about this case.

"Even the government psychiatrist at the trial admitted that Nagaenthran suffered from an abnormality of mind. I will say that all Singaporeans will have blood in their hands next Wednesday as the execution is done in their name.

"You have a duty to stop this!!!," he added.

ALSO READ: Court urged to show ‘mercy’ to disabled man on death row

The execution of the sentence against Nagaenthran, 34, comes after a Singapore court rejected his final appeal against the death sentence imposed for drug trafficking on March 29.

He was detained in 2009 and convicted of trafficking 42.72g of heroin in 2010, a crime punishable by the mandatory death penalty.

His appeal against conviction and sentence were dismissed in 2011.

ALSO READ: ‘Nagaenthran has been accorded full due process under the law’

In 2017, the High Court in Singapore ruled that Nagaenthran did not qualify to be given life imprisonment based on evidence from four psychological and psychiatric experts.

Nagaenthran’s case drew public attention in October last year after a letter from the Singapore Prison Service of his pending execution on Nov 10 was sent to his mother in Ipoh.

The letter, which was posted on social media, drew calls for clemency against the death sentence both locally and from abroad.

ALSO READ: Richard Branson calls on Singapore to spare Nagaenthran’s life

A last-minute effort to halt the execution was mounted by his former lawyer Ravi who contended that Nagaenthran had the "mental age" of a person below 18 years old.

However, an effort to gain leave to start judicial review proceedings challenging Nagenthren's death sentence was dismissed by the High Court.

He then appealed to the Court of Appeal, which was dismissed on March 29 this year.