A Singapore court has rejected an appeal against the execution of a Malaysian man convicted of drug smuggling, dismissing an argument by his legal team that he should be spared because he was mentally impaired.
An activist holding a placard and a candle during a vigil against the impending execution of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam outside the Singaporean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 8 November 2021.Singapore's top court Tuesday dismissed a mentally disabled Malaysian man's last-ditch appeal against a death sentence, with his family saying they were "devastated" and "shocked" by the ruling.
Nagaenthran had been "afforded due process" and his defence had put "nothing forward to suggest that he has a case", he said, adding the Malaysian's lawyers were filing "hopeless" motions after several appeals had already been rejected. Speaking to AFP from Malaysia, his sister Sarmila Dharmalingam sobbed as she said the family was "devastated".His long-running case has been "a horrifying ordeal for us," she added.'Cries for mercy'
The appeal was supposed to take place months ago but was delayed after Nagaenthran contracted COVID-19. Singapore is among more than 30 countries worldwide where drug-related offences are still punishable by death, according to Amnesty International.