Following the pleads and outrage by Malaysians and many other people worldwide regarding the case of Nagaenthran, an intellectually-disabled Malaysian man on death row in Singapore for drug trafficking, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri has personally written a letter to his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong to seek leniency for the case.
As reported by national news agency Bernama, in the letter dated 3 November 2021, Ismail Sabri has asked the Singaporean government to look into staying the execution and seeks a fresh application for presidential clemency in the controversial case.
A change.org petition requesting for Nagaenthran to be spared from the death penalty have had more than 59,000 signatures.
33-year-old Nagaenthran has a mild intellectual disability whereby as claimed by his lawyer, he has a lower-than-average IQ of 69 and other mental health issues. On 22 November 2010, Nagaenthran was sentenced to death for trafficking 42.72g of diamorphine into Singapore two years prior on 22 April 2009. Previous appeals and clemency petitions have failed, with the latest being the rejected application for presidential clemency on 1 June 2020.
Nagaenthran is scheduled to be executed next Wednesday (10 November 2021).
As reported by Malaysiakini who sighted the contents of Ismail Sabri’s letter, the Prime Minister wrote that he has no intention to interfere with Singapore’s laws but appealed for leniency on ‘humanitarian grounds’.
The Malaysian Prime Minister further asserted,
“While I note that the legal process has been exhausted, I submit this appeal for leniency purely on humanitarian ground (sic), without any intention to interfere in Singapore’s judicial process.”
“As a lawyer myself, I know that the legal and judicial systems of Malaysia and Singapore share many similarities.”
Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri.
“I believe there is still room for the government of Singapore to consider granting a stay of execution and allowing a new petition for Presidential Clemency in the case of Mr Nagaenthran.”
“I sincerely hope you would give this appeal due consideration,”
What do you guys think of this development in Nagaenthran’s case? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Also read: People Are Pleading To The SG Govt To Halt The Execution Of Mentally Impaired M’sian On Death Row
