Singapore To Hang Another Malaysian Barely 2 Months After Executing Nagaenthran
32-year-old Kalwant Singh, a Malaysian, has spent nine years in prison on death row after he was convicted mainly on the testimony of a co-accused person for allegedly trafficking 60.15g of diamorphine.
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The Singapore government will execute 32-year-old Kalwant Singh, a Malaysian who has spent nine years in prison on death row, on 7 July
Kalwant, from Cameron Highlands, was arrested when he was 23 years old for allegedly trafficking 60.15g of diamorphine to Singapore, according to Malaysian human rights and law reform NGO, Lawyers for Liberty.
Kalwant, who was convicted mainly on the testimony of a co-accused person, claims that he never knew that the bundles he was carrying were drugs, said Lawyers for Liberty in a statement today, 30 June.
Kalwant's family visited him in Changi prison earlier in June
The visit came after two long years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and financial and health reasons.
When Kalwant's sister Sonia and niece Kellvina finally got to Singapore, they asked if they could be allowed an extra visit on Tuesday, after having seen him on Monday, but they were refused
Visits for death row prisoners are usually on Saturday and Monday, according to a Singapore-based reform group, which took to their social media to share about the family's visit.
Kalwant's execution notice comes barely two months after Singapore hanged another Malaysian for allegedly trafficking 42.7g of heroin
On 27 April, the Singapore government executed 34-year-old Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam. Kalwant is unfortunately next on the long list of Malaysians whom Singapore has slated to be executed.
Since 2016, five Malaysians have been executed for drug offences in Singapore, with the city-state receiving widespread criticism from the international community for executing low-level alleged drug mules.
Meanwhile, Lawyers for Liberty director Zaid Malek called on the Singapore government to halt Kalwant's execution, saying that the imposition of the death penalty for drug crimes has been declared by the UN to be in violation of international law and amounts to unlawful killing.
"Malaysia has taken positive steps towards its eventual abolition, with the long-standing moratorium and now the government's undertaking to abolish the mandatory death penalty. Singapore, however, in contradiction to prevailing international norms, continues with its execution barrage," he said.
"The death penalty is an archaic and brutal form of punishment that does not deter serious crime; it is irreversible and the ultimate denial of human rights. Continuing to hang drug mules whilst knowing full well that drug mules are easily replaceable by drug kingpins shows that Singapore prefers the illusion of taking action instead of actually resolving the illicit drug trade in the region."
Zaid also urged the Malaysia government to make urgent representations to Singapore to save Kalwant, a Malaysian citizen, from the gallows.
Read more about Nagaenthran's case here:
In May this year, three suspected Malaysian drug offenders were nabbed in Singapore after an attempt to smuggle nearly 18kg of heroin was foiled by the city-state's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority:
Meanwhile, in Malaysia, the Home Minister has downplayed deaths at immigration centres, saying "anyone can die anywhere":
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