Lawyers Plead At Embassy As Singapore To Execute Malaysian Next Wednesday

---

 



Lawyer groups are pleading with Singapore President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to commute the death sentence of Malaysian Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam.
Members of the Malaysian Bar Council gathered in front of the Singapore High Commission at Jalan Tun Razak in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon and handed a memorandum appealing for Nagaenthran’s clemency.
"We have asked for Nagaenthran’s clemency from the prime minister and president of the Republic of Singapore.
“We really hope the sentencing will be commuted," said Bar Council president AG Kalidas to the media, after presenting the letter to the High Commission at around 4.30PM.
The letter was jointly signed by Malaysian Bar Council, Advocates Association of Sarawak, as well as the Sabah Law Society.
According to Kalidas, the letter was accepted personally by Singapore High Commissioner to Malaysia Vanu Gopala Menon.
The lawyers said they are disappointed the Malaysian government has yet to voice out on the matter so far and noted that Malaysia was just recently appointed to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
“Our question that we put to the Malaysian government is - what are you going to do about this?
“Publicly we have not heard anything from the Malaysian government about any efforts that they are undertaking to try and at least intervene on behalf of Nagaenthran,” said Bar Council constitutional committee co-chair Andrew Khoo to the media.

The groups urged the Malaysian government to uphold its commitment as a UN Human Rights Council member and act quickly to stop the execution of Nagaenthran.
They also pleaded with the island nation’s government to exercise compassion in this case.
“Justice also comes with compassion. What we are asking the Singapore government is to show some compassion in this instance and spare the life of (Nagaenthran) who is of diminished intellectual capacity.
“If any case is deserving of commutation, it is this,” Khoo added.
The groups also highlighted that Singapore is a signatory of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and argued executing an intellectually challenged person would go against the statute.
Nagaenthran was convicted in Singapore of trafficking 42.27g of diamorphine, or heroin, back in 2011.
However, his defence team reportedly raised his mental disability after his conviction.
He was diagnosed by medical professionals with a borderline intellectual disability with an IQ of 69, lower than the average human IQ of between 85 to 115.
Nagaenthran is due to be executed next Wednesday (Nov 10).
His family recently spoke to Malaysiakini about the case, hoping that the Singapore government would spare Nagaenthran’s life. - Mkini

---