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Singapore Has Now Hanged Nagaenthran

Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, who suffered a mild intellectual disability due to his lower-than-average IQ of 69, was arrested in 2009 for bringing 42.7g of heroin into Singapore. He was on death row for more than a decade.

Cover image via Al Jazeera & theSundaily

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Editor's note: An earlier version of this story carried the wrong picture of Nagaenthran on the cover image. We apologise for the mistake.

Earlier this morning, 27 April, the Singapore government carried out the execution of 34-year-old Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam

His brother, Navin Kumar, said by telephone the execution had been carried out and that the funeral will be held in Ipoh, Perak, once Singapore sends back Nagaenthran's body, Reuters reported.

Nagaenthran, who suffered a mild intellectual disability due to his lower-than-average IQ of 69, was arrested in 2009 for bringing 42.7g of heroin into Singapore. He was on death row for more than a decade.

Nagaenthran's mother Panchalai Supermaniam weeps outside the Supreme Court in Singapore yesterday, 26 April.

Image via New Straits Times

A last-ditch attempt by Nagaenthran's mother to save his life was immediately dismissed by a Singapore court yesterday, 26 April

Following which, Nagaenthran requested to hold his family's hands in the court.

"I'd like to make a last-minute request to spend some time with my family members. I'm placing this request so I can hold my family members' hands. Here in court, Your Honour, I would like to hold my family members' hands, not in prison. May I please have permission to hold their hands here?" he said.

According to the Reuters report, the court approved the request and Nagaenthran reached through a gap in a glass screen to grasp his family members' hands tightly as they wept.

His cries of "ma" could be heard around the courtroom.

On Twitter, a Singapore-based journalist shared a photo of Nagaenthran, his last. The photo was taken before he was executed.

"Before an execution, family members are allowed to buy clothes for the prisoner to wear at a photoshoot. The photos are given to the family shortly before or after execution," Kirsten Han wrote.

Read more about Nagaenthran's case here:

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