#SaveNagaenthran

Weekly column written for the Singapore Unbound newsletter. Sign up here.

 


I have no words for you today but to ask you to save Nagaenthran. 

Whether you're Singaporean or not, would you consider signing the petition to President Halimah Yacob to pardon an intellectually disabled man, who has been sentenced to death for a non-violent crime? In the words of the petition organized by local activist group Transformative Justice Collective:

"Nagaenthran a/l K Dharmalingam, a Malaysian man with borderline intellectual functioning, was arrested for drug trafficking at the age of 21. The following year, he was convicted and sentenced to death. During his forensic psychiatric evaluation, Nagaenthran was assessed to have an IQ of 69 - a level internationally recognised as an intellectual disability; impaired executive functioning; and ADHD. Having been on death row for over a decade, he faces imminent execution on 10 November 2021.

"While on trial, Nagaenthran testified that he had been coerced by a man who assaulted him and threatened to murder his girlfriend. Dr Ung Eng Khean, a psychiatrist in private practice, submitted that Nagaenthran was suffering from "an abnormality of mind at the time of his arrest". According to the Singapore law, this should have been sufficient grounds for him to be acquitted or released from charges. However, the defence was dismissed despite psychiatric evidence highlighting Nagaenthran’s inability to make rational judgments and decisions; assess risk and consequences; as well as control his impulses.

"The execution of a mentally ill person is prohibited under international human rights law, as well as under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Furthermore, any execution for drug offences contravenes international law and standards. As a signatory of the UNCRPD, the Singapore government runs the risk of violating its obligation towards “ensuring that persons with disabilities are treated equally with dignity and respect”.

"Capital punishment is often defended on the grounds that the government has a moral obligation to protect the safety and welfare of Singaporeans. However, Nagaenthran's death sentence indicates that the Singapore judicial system is failing to protect the safety and welfare of those with disabilities. Specifically, it demonstrates the systemic failure of Singapore’s criminal justice system to recognise the impact of intellectual disabilities on a person’s culpability and capacity to commit a criminal offence."  

Please sign the petition to save a man, who is also a brother and a son.

Jee Leong Koh
Nov 4, 2021

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