Another Malaysian to hang in Singapore even as protest builds over Nagaenthran

Rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has hit out at Singapore’s plan to execute yet another Malaysian citizen on death row in Changi prison despite his legal challenge which is still pending in the republic’s High Court.

It said Datchinamurthy Kataiah’s family was notified of his impending execution on April 29 in a letter dated April 21.

This is despite the fact that his court challenge is scheduled for hearing on May 20.

“The execution notice, issued despite ongoing legal proceedings, is a fundamental breach of Datchinamurthy’s right to life and right to fair trial contained in Article 9(1) of the constitution.

“No civilised country in the world hangs a person in the middle of the court process,” LFL said in a statement issued by its adviser N Surendran.

“By issuing this execution notice, the Singapore Prison Service and the Singapore home minister are in clear and serious contempt of court. The attorney-general of Singapore, having knowledge of and being complicit in the planned execution, is equally in contempt of court.”

Datchinamurthy, who was convicted in 2015 of trafficking 44.96g of diamorphine into the city-state, is scheduled to hang just two days after Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, whose latest petition for clemency was rejected on March 31.

The Singapore Court of Appeal had dismissed Nagaenthran’s appeal against his death sentence two days earlier.

LFL said Datchinamurthy’s notice of execution, coming on the heels of Nagaenthran’s, made it clear that Singapore was “engaged in a reckless and bloody execution spree, in disregard of the rule of law and civilised norms”.

It urged the Singapore government to immediately revoke Datchinamurthy’s execution notice and to allow the court process to continue unimpeded.

“To block a person on death row from access to courts by executing him prior to the hearing is in breach of international law as well as the Singapore constitution,” it said.

“It will reduce Singapore to a pariah state.”