Singapore has resumed executions after a two-year hiatus. Now, 34-year-old Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam has been hanged.
A mentally disabled man was executed in Singapore, according to his family, despite international protests. Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam was executed in the early hours of Wednesday morning, his sister Sarmila Dharmalingam told AFP. “It is unbelievable that Singapore proceeded with the execution despite international calls to spare her life,” she said, speaking from Malaysia. The family was “extremely saddened” and “in shock”.
Earlier on Tuesday, after several objections, a court finally upheld the 34-year-old’s planned execution. The Malaysian was arrested in 2009, aged 21, when he entered Singapore with 43 grams of heroin. Supporters say he has an IQ of 69 – a score recognized as mentally handicapped – and was coerced into committing the crime.
“Breaking International Laws”
Reprieve, a human rights organization that opposes the death penalty, said Nagaenthran was “the victim of a tragic miscarriage of justice”. The group’s director, Maya Foa, stated: “Hanging a mentally disabled and mentally ill man is unjustifiable and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law to which Singapore has signed.”
The execution, originally scheduled for November, sparked numerous protests, including from the European Union. Singapore resumed executions in March after a two-year hiatus. At that time, judicial authorities had hanged a drug dealer.
Nav account np time04/28/2022, 06:19| Act: 04/28/2022, 06:19