High Court Stays Execution Of Nagaenthran As Loved Ones Make Last Ditch Effort To Save Him
This means Nagaenthran's scheduled execution date has been postponed.
By May Vin Ang — 08 Nov 2021, 06:03 PM
The Singapore High Court has granted Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam a stay of execution two days before his death penalty that was scheduled on Wednesday, 10 November
Nagaenthran, a Malaysian, was sentenced to death in 2010 for drug trafficking.
In a last ditch effort hearing at 2.30pm today, 8 November, the court heard as his lawyers challenged the execution, deeming it unconstitutional to hang someone with an intellectual disability.
After the hearing, Nagaenthran's Singapore lawyer M Ravi and Malaysian counsel N Surendran took to social media to share the court's decision.
"Good news. The High Court has just ordered a stay of execution pending the hearing of the appeal to the Court of Appeal against the decision of the (Singapore) High Court," wrote Ravi.
"Wonderful news. High Court has stayed the execution of Nagaenthran," said Surendran.
The stay of execution granted means that Nagaenthran's death sentence has only been put on hold
Singaporean activist and freelance journalist Kirsten Han tweeted that Nagaenthran's lawyer, M Ravi, will now have to make an appeal to the Court of Appeal and wait for the court to hear the case to deliver a further decision.
The stay of execution lasts until the Court of Appeal makes a decision. The date of the appeal hearing has yet to be fixed.
Earlier today, the journalist also shared that four of his family members have travelled to Singapore to visit him in Changi Prison
"Nagaenthran's brother, who has been visiting him, said he seems disoriented, has delayed responses to stimuli, and switches between lucidity and confusion," Han said, adding that the brother even doubts if the man behind bars fully understands that his execution date is near.
Meanwhile, the rest of the family in Ipoh are still appealing to the Singapore government for leniency and to Singapore President Halimah Yacob to grant him clemency, despite having been rejected once before.
Nagaenthran was arrested by Singaporean authorities on 22 April 2009, and charged with smuggling 42.72g of diamorphine into Singapore in a bundle strapped to his thigh at the Woodlands Checkpoint.
He was sentenced to death by the High Court of Singapore on 22 November 2010, despite testifying that he was coerced by a man who assaulted him and threatened to murder his girlfriend.
During a forensic psychiatric evaluation, Nagaenthran was also diagnosed with a borderline intellectual disability, with an IQ of 69. However, the court decided that Nagaenthran had still failed to prove his case.
