Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam has been sentenced to death since 2010 for trying to smuggle less than 43 grams of heroin into Singapore. At a previous hearing, his IQ was revealed to be 69 – a level internationally recognized as a mental disability, but the court ruled that Nagaenthran knew what he was doing by violating Singapore’s tough anti-drug laws. M. Ravi, a lawyer assisting in the case, wrote on Facebook that the Singapore Supreme Court had ruled that Nagaenthran’s appeal was “an abuse of procedure and that international law does not apply”. “Nagaenthran, who is mentally disabled, is likely to be hanged in the coming days,” he said. The UK-based rights group Reprieve said Nagaenthran faces imminent execution unless he pardons Singaporean President Halimah Yacob. “The Government of Singapore has made clear its commitment to defending the rights of persons with disabilities. “Allowing this parody of justice to take place would run counter to these promises,” said Reprieve director Maya Foa. “We urge President Halimah Yacob to hear the cry for mercy in Singapore and around the world, from the United Nations to world business leaders, and to lay down the life of this vulnerable man,” Foa said in a statement. Anyone found with more than 15 grams of heroin faces the death penalty in Singapore, although judges can reduce it to life imprisonment at their discretion. Nagaenthran was sentenced to death in 2010 and other attempts to reduce his sentence to life in prison or receive a presidential pardon failed. The Malaysian leader, representatives of the European Union and world celebrities such as British businessman Richard Branson called for Nagendran’s life to be saved and used the case to support the end of the death penalty. Singapore’s interior ministry responded that the country had a “zero tolerance stand against illegal drugs” and that the death penalty had become clear at its borders.
