A SINGAPORE court has fixed January 24 to hear Nagaenthran Dharmalingam’s appeal to overturn his death sentence for drug trafficking, N. Surendran of Lawyers for Liberty, said.

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

He was caught with a bundle of heroin strapped to his thigh when entering the city-state from Malaysia via the Woodlands checkpoint in April 2009.

Nagaenthran has an IQ of 69, a lower than average score that qualifies for intellectual disability.

Surendran also urged the Singaporean government to immediately cease all tactics of intimidation, harassment and undue pressure against Nagaenthran’s lawyer, M. Ravi.

“The Singapore government should allow M. Ravi and Nagaenthran to pursue legal challenges without any hindrance whatsoever,” said Surendran in a statement today.

“We further urge the judiciary to retract unfair court directions issued to Ravi and ensure a free and fair hearing of the pending applications and appeals.”

According to him, Ravi has also been threatened with professional disciplinary complaints and baseless police investigations. 

Surendran said the court had also imposed short deadlines for Ravi to file case documents while knowing that the lawyer was on medical leave.

“The world will be watching this case closely, and Singapore must act consistent with the rule of law, customary international law principles on fair trial and it’s own obligations as a state party to the UN Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities,” said Surendran.

Last month Singapore President Halimah Yacob said Nagaenthran had been accorded due process under the law.

It was a reply to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who had written to the president to appeal for clemency for Nagaenthran. – January 4, 2022.