PRABAGARAN Srivijayan, a Malaysian found guilty of drug trafficking, was executed in Singapore at 6am today. He was 29. 

Family members collected the body at 10am at the Changi jail.

Leading the vigil outside the prison complex were Prabagaran’s mother, aunt and niece. 

“The family stayed up all night. They keep going back and forth from their hotel to the prison,” said Kirsten Han, co-founder of anti-death penalty group We Believe in Second Chances. 

“She’s very, very upset. It’s very difficult for her,” said Han, referring to Prabagaran’s mother. 

“She said: ‘My son is no more, my son is no more’.”

Prabagaran’s remains would be cremated this evening, said Han.

Prabagaran was convicted of trafficking 22.24g of heroin in a vehicle in July 2012.

An eleventh-hour bid to stay the execution was rejected by the Singapore apex court yesterday, which ruled there was no legal basis to grant the stay. 

Prabagaran’s lawyer, Choo Zheng Xi had argued that Prabagaran’s appeal in Malaysia was pending, The Straits Times reported. 

Lawyers had applied to the Malaysian Court of Appeal to refer Singapore to the International Court of Justice, citing concerns with the trial.

Prior to that, Prabagaran’s application for leave to start judicial review proceedings was dismissed in March by Malaysia’s High Court, which said it could not interfere in the case.  

Amnesty International had raised concerns about the fairness of Prabagaran’s trial, noting that the authorities did not allow defence witnesses to be called upon.

The key argument the defence made was Prabagaran had borrowed the vehicle. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial.

Singapore has handed out the death sentence 10 times – including seven cases of drug trafficking – after it lifted a moratorium on executions in 2014.

There are 38 people on death row in Singapore, according to Amnesty International. – July 14, 2017.