GENEVA – Singapore must urgently halt the execution of Malaysian national Pannir Selvam Pranthaman for drug trafficking, UN experts* said yesterday.
“We have repeatedly** called on Singapore to halt executions for drug offences which are illegal under international human rights law on several grounds,” the experts said.
Pranthaman’s execution has been scheduled for dawn on 20 February. His family received four days’ notice.
“We reiterate that under international law, only crimes of extreme gravity involving intentional killing meet the threshold for the death penalty,” the experts said. “Mandatory death sentences are inherently over-inclusive and inevitably violate human rights law.”
“There is no evidence that the death penalty does more than any other punishment to curb or prevent drug trafficking,” they said.
- Sign up for Aliran's free daily email updates or weekly newsletters or both
- Make a one-off donation to Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara, CIMB a/c 8004240948
- Make a pledge or schedule an auto donation to Aliran every month or every quarter
- Become an Aliran member
The experts warned that the rate of execution notices for drug-related offences in Singapore was “highly alarming”. They noted that eight people have already been executed on these charges since 1 October 2024, a period of just four and a half months.
“We once again urge Singaporean authorities to halt the execution of Pannir Selvam Pranthaman and commute his death sentence to imprisonment in line with international human rights law and standards,” the experts said.
“We also call on Malaysian authorities to take any steps at their disposal to support Pranthaman’s case,” they said.
The experts have written to the governments of Singapore and Malaysia regarding this case. – UN Human Rights
*The experts: Morris Tidball-Binz, special rapporteur on extrajudicial summary or arbitrary executions, Margaret Satterthwaite, special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and Matthew Gillett (chair-rapporteur), Ganna Yudkivska (vice-chair on communications), Priya Gopalan (vice-chair on follow-up), Miriam Estrada Castillo and Mumba Malila – working group on arbitrary detention
** See a letter on 19 November 2024, to which the government of Singapore replied and a press release on 20 November and another press release on 28 November 2024.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
