Nagaenthran was 21 when he tried to cross the Malaysia-Singapore border in 2009 with 43 grams of heroin in his pocket. A dangerous undertaking. Because in Singapore, possession of 15 grams of heroin is already punishable by death. Nagaenthran ran into the lamp and ended up on death row.
That would never have happened to him in the Netherlands. Here, drug smuggling carries a maximum prison sentence of twelve years or a fine of up to 82,000 euros.
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So today the Malaysian would be hanged in prison. His lawyer made a last-ditch effort to prevent this. He argued that the execution of a mentally retarded person violates Singapore’s constitution. Nagaenthran was allegedly forced to smuggle the drugs into Singapore. Besides, he wouldn’t have realized what he was doing.
Disproportionate
The lawyer is supported by human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. They find the punishment disproportionate. In addition, Singapore is alleged to have acted in violation of the UN Convention protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.
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The organizations are an online petition started. It has already been signed by more than 76,000 people. Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and even British billionaire Richard Branson also urged the Singapore government to review the death sentence.
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Execution suspended
Initially, the Singaporean authorities did not care about this. They were convinced that the Malaysian knew very well what he was doing. But now the international protests seem to be having an effect. The Supreme Court adjourned the execution. The Court of Appeal was supposed to look at the case again, but that has been postponed because Nagaenthran has corona. The case has been postponed to next week. The judges at the Court have promised to take into account the 33-year-old Malaysian’s intellectual disability.
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Strict Drug Laws Southeast Asia
Singapore is not the only country in Southeast Asia with very strict drug laws. Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are also known for severely punishing drug crimes. In Thailand, more than 20 grams of hard drugs such as heroin or cocaine can be punished by death. Possession or trafficking of 600 grams of heroin can result in the death penalty for someone in Vietnam. There are more than 700 death row inmates in Vietnamese cells.
Philippine President Duterte is on a crusade against drugs. Officially, possession of 10 grams can already result in the death penalty. Under his rule, thousands of drug suspects have been executed with impunity by gunmen, who Amnesty International says may have links with the police.
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