A GROUP of international organisations today joined a chorus of calls to the Singapore government to stop the execution of Malaysian Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam next week.

The Harm Reduction International (HRI), the International Network of People who Use Drugs and the International Drug Policy Consortium with 27 other organisations and networks urged the republic to commute his sentence to life imprisonment instead.

They said this should be seen as the first step towards the abolition of the death penalty and towards drug policies that prioritise health and human rights.

The group also sought the intervention of the United Nations, European Union and all relevant stakeholders to take urgent action.

“Like many capital drug defendants, Nagaenthran was evidently at the low end of the drug supply chain, and was tricked, if not coerced, to carry drugs.

“He did not stand to make a sizeable profit in return for the incredibly high-risk activity of carrying drugs across international borders,” they said in a statement.

The use of the death penalty for drug offences is a clear violation of international human rights and drug control standards, as reiterated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Human Rights Council, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Narcotics Control Board.

“Contrary to Singapore’s claims, there is no proof that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect on drug use or trafficking.

“Rather, the use of the death penalty and punitive drug policies work to deepen stigma and discrimination against people who use drugs and entrench cycles of poverty and marginalisation.

“In addition, the imposition of capital punishment against persons with mental or intellectual disabilities is prohibited by international law and a violation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Singapore ratified,” they said.

Nagaenthran is said to have mental health issues and has an intellectual disability, and was reportedly pushed to import drugs in exchange for RM500 needed to pay for his father’s upcoming heart surgery.

“He was diagnosed with mild attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. His intelligence quotient of 69 meets the international standard for intellectual disability, and his functioning skills are impaired.

“Nevertheless, judges concluded that his impairment was not sufficient to grant re-sentencing, and in 2017 upheld his death sentence,” they said.

Research by HRI showed that Singapore is one of few countries that regularly sentence individuals to death for drug offences, as more countries move away from using the death penalty as a tool of drug control.

Nagaenthran, 32, was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to death in 2011 under the Misuse of Drugs Act for illegally importing 42.7g of diamorphine.

The Singapore Court of Appeal upheld the sentence in November 2011, and further re-sentencing applications were dismissed.

On October 26, Nagaenthran’s family from Ipoh, Perak was informed by the Singapore Prison Service that he would be executed on November 10.

His family was advised to start making travel and funeral arrangements.

“Nagaenthran’s siblings and mother are facing significant financial and logistical challenges to travel to Singapore, particularly in light of Covid-19 requirements and restrictions.

“If they test negative for Covid-19, they will be granted an exception to the stay-home-notice to travel to and from the prison, although it is unclear whether they will be able to have any physical contact with Nagaenthran.

“If the test comes back positive, they will be barred from visiting Nagaenthran and may be confined to a medical facility,” they said.

Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah yesterday said Putrajaya had exhausted its attempts through the clemency process last year, but is again raising the matter with the republic. – November 4, 2021.