Human rights groups are urging Singapore to halt an execution next week of a Malaysian man convicted of smuggling heroin into the city-state, arguing that he should be exempt under international law because he has an intellectual disability. Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, 33, was caught in 2009 with about 1.5 ounces of heroin strapped to his thigh as he entered Singapore from Malaysia. The courts have rejected appeals from his lawyers, who argue that his death sentence should be commuted because he has an I.Q. Mr. Nagaenthran has been on death row for more than a decade. The impending execution has prompted protests in Malaysia and an online petition signed by more than 52,000 people imploring Singapore’s president, Halimah Yacob, to pardon Mr. Nagaenthran.

Source: New York Times November 05, 2021 22:59 UTC