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A Malaysian man convicted of trafficking 51 grams of heroin was granted a last-minute reprieve from execution by a Singapore appeals court docket on Wednesday.
Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, 37, was granted a keep of execution only a day earlier than he was set to be hanged by the Singapore Jail authorities on Thursday, human rights activists combating in opposition to his capital punishment mentioned.
He was arrested in 2014 for carrying 51.8 grams of diamorphine, some strapped to his groin and a few hid in his motorbike, into the town state. He was sentenced to loss of life in 2017 by a excessive court docket decide, who mentioned he was the “courier” concerned in transporting the prohibited drug inside Singapore.
Singapore has a zero-tolerance coverage for drug-related offences and regards them because the “most severe crime”. The federal government says the loss of life penalty is a deterrent in opposition to drug trafficking and that almost all of its residents help capital punishment.
Nonetheless, critics say the regulation solely targets low-level traffickers and couriers.
The appeals court docket allowed the keep of execution on the eleventh hour on the grounds that there’s an ongoing constitutional problem by different loss of life row prisoners to a bit below the drug regulation, mentioned Kirsten Han, a Singaporean anti-loss of life penalty activist.
Whereas Pannir is just not instantly concerned within the case, he has argued within the court docket that this case might doubtlessly change the result of his conviction.
The appeals court docket additionally allowed his bid to mount one other enchantment in opposition to his conviction.
“It is a enormous reduction and excellent information, however a keep of execution is just not an entire cease,” Ms Han mentioned. “What Singapore wants now could be a direct moratorium on using the loss of life penalty, with a view to full abolition. Pannir lives tomorrow, however as Singaporeans we should preserve combating to verify nobody is killed in our names ever once more.”
Pannir claimed he didn’t know he was carrying medication, however the court docket needed to sentence him to loss of life as prosecutors refused to concern the Malaysian man a certificates of substantive help stating he had helped their investigation which might have spared him the noose.
Singapore carried out 9 executions between 1 October 2024 and seven February 2025, together with eight of people convicted of drug trafficking.
