Desperate pleas for disabled man Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam on Singapore death row

Legal and human rights groups are calling for mercy for an intellectually disabled Malaysian man due to be executed in Singapore for drug smuggling.

Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, then 21, was detained in April 2009 for trying to smuggle nearly 43 grams of heroin into Singapore, found strapped to his left thigh.

He was sentenced to death by hanging in November 2010 under Singapore’s strict drug laws, and is due to be executed next week.

Death penalty opponents say Nagaenthran’s IQ was disclosed during the trial as 69, a level that is internationally recognised as an intellectual disability.

They say he was also found to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a drinking disorder that together could affect his judgement, decision making and impulse control.

Nagaenthran’s appeal to reduce the penalty to life in prison failed and a final push for a presidential clemency was rejected last year.

A judicial hearing was set for Monday to hear arguments that executing a intellectually disabled person would violate Singapore’s constitution.

If the review fails, Nagaenthran will be the first person executed in Singapore since 2019.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said on Wednesday he has written to his Singapore counterpart about the case and would extend consular aid to Nagaenthran and his family.

Singapore’s home ministry has defended the court’s decision, saying Nagaenthran clearly understood the crime and has exhausted all legal appeals.