Singaporean Nazeri hanged in Changi Prison

Singaporean Nazeri Lajim was hanged early today, the latest in a string of executions over drug offences in the city-state despite increasing scrutiny over its continued use of the death penalty. 

Nazeri was hanged at 6am at Singapore's Changi Prison. It is understood that his family members are at the prison to claim his body and make funeral arrangements. 

Anti-death penalty activist Kokila Annamalai, who accompanied the family members to the prison today, said funeral prayers would be held at Masjid Assyakirin in Taman Jurong.

Nazeri's remains will then be taken to the Muslim cemetery at Masjid Al-Firdaus.

Nazeri, 64, was sentenced to death in 2017, five years after he was arrested with two bundles containing heroin.

He had maintained that the drugs were for his personal consumption, an argument that his lawyers put forward to reopen his case based on medical evidence.

Nazeri was one of 17 death row inmates who had filed a historic suit against the Singapore government, accusing it of discrimination and bias in their prosecution due to their Malay ethnicity.

The suit was dismissed late last year with the court calling it an abuse of process. The Singapore attorney-general later took two lawyers who had represented the inmates to court, where he was awarded costs over their filing of the suit "without consent". 

On Wednesday, the High Court rejected his application to set aside his death sentence in order to pursue a judicial review pertaining to his constitutional rights to equal treatment.

In his final appeal yesterday, Nazeri had begged for compassion, asking for more time to see his family members and siblings. 

However, the judge said the decision of the court was final.