Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam is a Malaysian Indian who was convicted of trafficking 42.72 grams of heroin in April 2009 when he entered Singapore from Malaysia with a package of heroin strapped to his thigh at the Woodlands Checkpoint.
A case that has sparked international outrage, Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, with learning difficulties who has spent more than a decade on death row, might be executed within days after Singapore’s top court denied his last-ditch plea.
Dharmalingam, who was 21 at the time of his arrest, has claimed that he was forced to carry the box, which was tied to his thigh, and that he had no idea what it contained.
His case has sparked international outrage. According to UN experts, the punishment is not only excessive for drug trafficking and thus unconstitutional under international law, but there are also worries that concessions for his disability were not provided.
Who Is Malaysian-Indian Nagaenthran Dharmalingam?
Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, a Malaysian-Indian of 34 years, was detained in Singapore in 2009 for carrying 42.7 grams (1.5 ounces) of heroin into the country. In 2010, he was found guilty and condemned to death.
In November 2010, Dharmalingam was condemned to death by hanging. However, his execution was postponed owing to a suspension on all hangings in Singapore pending court modifications to the country’s obligatory death penalty rules, which evaluated and authorized the imposition of life imprisonment with or without caning for drug traffickers who were couriers or had mental problems.
He filed an appeal claiming mental incapacity and requesting that his lawyers file a judicial review petition to overturn the death sentence. Nagaenthran, according to campaigners, has an IQ of 69, which is considered to indicate a learning impairment and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Nagaenthran was supposed to be hung in November, but his execution was postponed since he had the right to appeal. After testing positive for Covid, his appeal was postponed.
Nagaenthran Dharmalingam -Death Sentence Singapore
Outside the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur on March 9, activists carry placards opposing the execution of Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, who was condemned to death for trafficking heroin into Singapore.
Following a campaign by his attorneys, who claimed the trial breached international standards since the man had an intellectual disability, a Singapore court dismissed the last appeal by a man condemned to death for drug trafficking.
The verdict effectively closes all legal routes to prevent his execution, and supporters believe he will be hung within days. The case has attracted worldwide attention, notably from the United Nations, Malaysia’s Prime Minister, and British billionaire Richard Branson, and has renewed scrutiny of the city-zero-tolerance state’s drug policies.
Nagaenthran Dharmalingam Family Background Explored
Nagaenthran Dharmalingam’s family has described him as fragile, shy, and easily led and has warned that his mental state has worsened after spending nearly a third of his life in jail.
Sarmila Dharmalingam, his sister, told the Guardian that she was upset and worried about her brother. “We’re extremely, terribly sad,” she expressed her disappointment.
“Just give my brother a second opportunity to live a life.” Everyone makes blunders. “We have to allow them to repent,” she added, adding that her brother had already spent 13 years in jail away from his family.