[UPDATED] Singapore to hang 32-year-old Malaysian next week

KUALA LUMPUR – The Singapore government has issued an execution notice for Malaysian Kalwant Singh, with the death penalty set to be carried out next week on July 7, according to Singaporean rights activist Kirsten Han.

In a Twitter post today, Han said Kalwant, now 32, was arrested for drugs when he was 23 years old and spent the past nine years in prison.

Singapore has scheduled a execution for next week, 7 July 2022: Kalwant Singh, a Malaysian who was arrested for drugs when he was 23 years old, and has spent the past nine years in prison. #deathpenalty pic.twitter.com/6M66fHr1fu

— Kirsten Han 韩俐颖 (@kixes) June 30, 2022

She added that the accused’s sister Sonia and niece Kellvina visited him in the republic earlier this month after not being able to see him since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, financial and health reasons.

“When they finally got to Singapore, they asked if they could be allowed an extra visit on Tuesday as visits for death row prisoners are usually on Saturday or Monday but (they) were refused,” she alleged.

Previously, Malaysian Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam was sent to the gallows after Singapore proceeded with his execution on April 27.

Civil society organisations have since condemned and expressed their concern over Singapore’s insistence on the death penalty. 

In a statement today, the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (Adpan) called for the execution to be stopped and to align Singapore’s laws with international standards where the death penalty can only be applied for the most serious of crimes involving intentional killing. 

“Singapore’s eagerness to pursue executions for drug offences is a flagrant disregard for the right to a fair trial. Pursuing these cases has substantially damaged Singapore’s reputation. 

“This planned execution cements the perception that Singapore does not value human life and instead only cares to maintain a facade of success in their war on drugs.” 

It claimed that the death penalty has done little to eliminate the syndicates that exploit people as drug couriers while profiting from the distribution of drugs in the nation.

According to Adpan, Kalwant was convicted in 2016 for possessing 60.15g of diamorphine and trafficking 120.9g of the same substance, subsequently receiving the death penalty. 

His co-accused, who was charged with possessing the same 120.9g of the drug for the purposes of trafficking, was granted a certificate of substantive assistance by police and sentenced to life imprisonment as well as 15 strokes of the cane. 

Singapore’s trial court and Court of Appeal had previously found both men to be acting as couriers. – The Vibes, June 30, 2022