A Malaysian national, S. Prabagaran was recently convicted of trafficking drugs in Singapore, which carries the death penalty. Prabagaran failed in his bid to halt his execution and will be facing the gallows today (14th July).
In 2012, the Malaysian was convicted of trafficking diamorphine, a pure form of heroin, after 22.24g of the drug was found in his car at the Singaporean immigration checkpoint when he tried to enter the country.
Source: FMT
Prabagaran plead innocent, saying that he did not own the car he was driving and was unaware that there were drugs stored in the vehicle.
Malaysian lawyer N. Surendran tweeted yesterday evening that the stay of execution was dismissed by Singapore’s court of appeal, confirming that Prabagaran would face the death penalty.
Source: Twitter
According to Free Malaysia Today, N. Surendran said the appeals court ruled that Singapore was a sovereign nation and would not wait for the outcome of proceedings in Malaysia.
Prabagaran’s sentence even garnered the attention of the United Nations (UN), who urged Singapore to halt the execution since an appeal was pending in his home country, reported the New Straits Times.
In a statement, the UN rights body’s Southeast Asia office “calls on the Singaporean government to halt the imminent execution of Malaysian national Prabagaran Srivijayan for a drugs-related offence, and urges the government to immediately instate a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.”
“We are gravely concerned that the execution will proceed despite a pending appeal.”
Source: Yahoo News
Amnesty International Malaysia has also spoken out against this sentence, urging the Singapore Court of Appeal to halt the execution.
Despite even the UN and Amnesty International calling for a halt, Prabagaran will still be facing the death penalty today.
In light of this news, Singaporean anti-death penalty group, We Believe in Second Chances, will be holding a candlelight vigil tonight to show solidarity and support for Prabagaran’s family.
Malaysia and Singapore view drug trafficking as a very serious offence. In Malaysia, as little as 15g of heroin; 200g of cannabis; or 40g of cocaine will get the offender a mandatory death sentence by hanging.
So for anyone who wants to do the same, you should really think twice.
Also read: Young Couple Caught Growing 38 Ganja Plants in Puchong Condo Faces Death Penalty
