THE hearing for Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam’s appeal to overturn his death sentence for drug trafficking in Singapore has been pushed to February.

Lawyers for Liberty adviser N. Surendran told The Malaysian Insight: “As of now, there is no exact date on when the appeal will be, but the appeal hearing today is cancelled.”

A Singapore court earlier this month fixed January 24 to hear the appeal.

Nagaenthran, an intellectually disabled Malaysian man, was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to death in 2011 for illegally importing 42.7g of diamorphine under the republic’s Misuse of Drugs Act 1973.

He was caught with a bundle of heroin strapped to his thigh when entering Singapore from Malaysia via the Woodlands Checkpoint in April 2009.

He has an IQ of 69 – a lower-than-average score that qualifies for intellectual disability.

His sister, Sharmila, told The Malaysian Insight that although the appeal hearing has been postponed, she and her family are hoping for a positive outcome.

“It has been a long waiting game, and we hope that there will be some positive outcome. I hope they remove the death penalty.”

Nagaenthran failed in his first appeal in November 2011.

Singapore’s court registry fixed a new appeal on November 9 following public pressure, but the move was slammed by human rights lawyers and anti-death penalty activists as an attempt to rush the appeal process to hang the man the following day per schedule.

But Nagaenthran was reported Covid-positive on November 9, and the stay of execution was extended.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong have both asked the republic for a review of Nagaenthran’s death sentence in view of his disability.

Singapore President Halimah Yacob, in a reply to the king, said Nagaenthran has been accorded due process under the law last month. – January 24, 2022.