Singapore urged to halt execution of another M’sian

PETALING JAYA: Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has called on Singapore to halt the execution of Kalwant Singh.

Kalwant was convicted and sentenced to death on Oct 24, 2013, for allegedly trafficking in 60.15g of diamorphine.

The 32-year-old Malaysian is scheduled to be hanged on July 7.

LFL director Zaid Malek described the death penalty as an "archaic and brutal form of punishment".

"It does not deter serious crime; it is irreversible and the ultimate denial of human rights.

"Continuing to hang drug mules whilst knowing full well that drug mules are easily replaceable by drug kingpins shows that Singapore prefers the illusion of taking action instead of actually resolving illicit drug trade in the region," he said in a statement on Thursday (June 30).

Noting that the imposition of the death penalty for drug crimes has been declared by the United Nations to be in violation of international law and amounts to unlawful killing, he said that Singapore is in "contradiction to prevailing international norms".

"We strongly urge the government of Singapore to comply with international law and halt the hanging of Kalwant Singh as well as to review its imposition of the death penalty for drug crimes.

"We also urge the Malaysian government to make urgent representations to Singapore to save our citizen from the gallows," he said.

On April 27, Malaysian Nagaenthran Dharmalingam was sent to the gallows for trafficking 43g of heroin into Singapore.