Disabled man's execution on hold

Singapore's top court yesterday postponed the appeal hearing for a Malaysian man on death row believed to be mentally disabled, after he was diagnosed with Covid-19.

Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, 33, was scheduled to be executed by hanging today for trying to smuggle a small amount of heroin into the country - less than 43 grams.

The Malaysian national was sentenced to death in November 2010, under Singapore's strict anti-drug laws. Previous attempts to reduce his sentence have all failed, despite pleas from the international community.

The Court of Appeal's Judge Andrew Phang said Nagaenthran had tested positive for Covid-19, and dismissed a prosecutor's suggestion to have him testify via video.

Nagaenthran's defense lawyer, M Ravi, has based his appeal on the argument that executing a mentally disabled person is a violation of Singapore's Constitution.

Death penalty opponents say Nagaenthran's IQ of 69 was disclosed during an earlier lower court hearing, a level that is internationally recognized as an intellectual disability, but the court ruled that Nagaenthran knew what he was doing and upheld the death sentence.

Members of the international community, representatives of the European Union and rights groups have called for Nagaenthran's life to be spared. Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob also reportedly asked for leniency "purely on humanitarian grounds'' in a letter to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, dated November 3.

Anyone found with over 15 grams of heroin faces the death sentence in Singapore, although judges can reduce this to life in prison at their discretion.

The last execution in Singapore was in 2019.