Singapore executes disabled Malaysian convicted in drug case
- 27 Apr 2022
Singapore on Wednesday executed a mentally disabled Malaysian man condemned for a drug offense after a court dismissed a last-minute challenge from his mother and international pleas to spare him.
Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, 34, had been on death row for over a decade after he was convicted of trafficking about 43 grams (1.5 oz) of heroin into Singapore. The city-state's government has said its use of the death penalty for drug crimes is made clear at the borders.
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Nagaenthran’s family and social activists confirmed the execution on Wednesday.
"On this score may I declare that Malaysia is far more humane,” his sister Sarmila Dharmalingam said. "Zero to Singapore on this.”
Nagaenthran’s supporters and lawyers said he had an IQ of 69 and was intellectually disabled, and that the execution of a mentally ill person was prohibited under international human rights law.
Singapore's courts ruled, citing psychiatrists' testimony in court, that he was not mentally disabled and had understood his actions at the time of his crime.
Associated Press
