SINGAPORE has carried out the execution of Malaysian national R. Lingkesvaran for a drug trafficking offence, according to a rights activist, provoking immediate criticism from anti-death penalty organisations.
“Lingkesvaran was hanged yesterday afternoon,” Kirsten Han, a Singapore-based member of the Transformative Justice Collective, told the New Straits Times via WhatsApp.
“Singapore has entered 2026 with a great fervour for killing — we’re only two weeks into February and this is already the fourth execution of the year,” she added.
Lingkesvaran, who worked as a security guard at an illegal casino, was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty in 2018.
Authorities cited that he was delivering bundles he believed contained tobacco to a third party in exchange for payment, but the package was later found to contain 52 grams of diamorphine.
N Surendran, adviser to Lawyers for Liberty, condemned the execution, stating: “We condemn the hanging of another young Malaysian over an alleged drug offence.
The amount was so small he was clearly a low-level mule.”
A stay of execution filed by Lingkesvaran on February 9, citing an ongoing case alleging serious mistreatment by the Singapore Prison Service and its officers, was dismissed by Justice Woo Bih Li.
The execution follows that of 39-year-old K. Datchinamurthy in September 2025, highlighting Singapore’s continued enforcement of capital punishment for drug offences despite appeals from family members and international human rights groups.
Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau stated that the overall drug situation remains stable, though youth abuse is a growing concern.
Methamphetamine continues to be the most abused substance, followed by heroin and cannabis, with nearly half of new abusers under the age of 30.
Amnesty International has consistently criticised Singapore’s application of the death penalty for drug-related crimes, arguing that it violates international human rights standards and calling for an immediate halt to executions. - February 12, 2026
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