Execution of Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam

In this Indian name, the name K. Dharmalingam is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Nagaenthran.

Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam
Nagaenthran before his arrest in Singapore
Born13 September 1988
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Died27 April 2022 (aged 33)
Changi Prison, Singapore
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)Drug trafficking
Criminal penaltyDeath (x3)

Nagaenthran a/l K. Dharmalingam (13 September 1988 – 27 April 2022) was a Malaysian drug trafficker who was convicted of trafficking 42.72 grams of heroin in April 2009 upon entering Singapore from Malaysia at Woodlands Checkpoint with a bundle of heroin strapped to his thigh. Nagaenthran confessed to committing the crime, but gave statements claiming that he was ordered to commit the crime out of duress by a mastermind who assaulted him and threatened to kill his girlfriend and his family. He also claimed he did so to get money to pay off his debts before he later denied any knowledge of the contents of his bundle.[1]

Nagaenthran was sentenced to death by hanging in November 2010. However, his execution was put on hold due to a moratorium placed on all hangings in Singapore pending judicial changes of the mandatory death penalty laws, which considered and approved the imposition of life imprisonment with or without caning for drug traffickers who were couriers or had mental illnesses. Despite Nagaenthran's multiple appeals, he was assessed as ineligible for re-sentencing because he was found not substantially mentally or intellectually disabled, which was also confirmed by the psychiatrists called upon by his lawyers.

Nagaenthran also lost his appeal for clemency, and he was finally scheduled to hang on 10 November 2021 after spending 11 years on death row.[2][3] However, due to both a last-minute appeal and a COVID-19 infection, Nagaenthran's execution was suspended for five months,[4][5][6][7] until the dismissal of his appeal on 29 March 2022.[8][9] After this, Nagaenthran was hanged at Changi Prison on 27 April 2022; he was 33.[10][11]

Prior to Nagaenthran's execution, his case attracted international attention, with many activists and foreign organizations asking for Singapore to commute Nagaenthran's death sentence to life imprisonment due to his alleged low IQ and overall, to abolish the death penalty while condemning Singapore for its use of the death penalty on drug traffickers.[12][13][14][15] The government of Singapore, in response to these pleas, asserted that Nagaenthran was not substantially mentally or intellectually impaired and hence there was no basis for the government to intervene and commute Nagaenthran's death sentence.[16]

  1. ^ "The trial, conviction and sentence of Nagaenthran — Hafiz Hassan". Malay Mail. 17 November 2021. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Last-ditch bid to spare mentally impaired man from hanging in Singapore". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Singapore is set to execute a mentally disabled man for trafficking 1.5 ounces of heroin". The Washington Post. 4 November 2021. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Singapore: Court stays execution of man with learning disabilities following outrage". The Irish Times. 8 November 2021. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Court dismisses claim by drug trafficker facing execution that he has 'mental age of person below 18'". The Straits Times. 8 November 2021. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Execution of Malaysian drug trafficker on death row stayed after he gets COVID-19". CNA. 9 November 2021. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  7. ^ "A sister's plea for her brother's life". Malaysia Now. 30 November 2021. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Singapore court rejects intellectually disabled man's final appeal against execution for drug smuggling". CNN. 29 March 2022. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Dismay after Singapore court upholds death sentence for man with learning disabilities". The Guardian. 29 March 2022. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Singapore to execute Nagaenthran on April 27 as lawyer appeals to Putrajaya". Malaysia Now. 20 April 2022. Archived from the original on 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Nagaenthran has been executed: Family". New Straits Times. 27 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Singapore halts execution of disabled Malaysian amid pleas". AP News. 8 November 2021. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Explained: Why the death sentence of Indian-origin Malaysian in Singapore is garnering international attention". Indian Express. 8 November 2021. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Last rites rights of condemned around the world". BBC News. 10 November 2021. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  15. ^ "More countries are scrapping the death penalty, but Singapore isn't one of them". SBS News. 10 November 2021. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Malaysian drug trafficker 'accorded full due process' under law: PM Lee, Minister Balakrishnan". CNA. 12 November 2021. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.