Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, a drug smuggler caught trying to smuggle 43 grams of heroin attached to his thigh from Malaysia to Singapore in 2009, was sentenced to death in Singapore. Dharmalingam was executed today after the last appeal of Dharmalingam’s mother, whose sentence was suspended due to his low IQ as a result of the initiatives of Malaysian authorities and human rights groups, was rejected by the court yesterday.
The court said that Dharmalingam was adjudicated “in accordance with the law” and “exhausted its appeal rights and virtually all other remedies under the law for nearly 11 years”.
“The Court of Appeal, having weighed the risks and compensatory benefits associated with the criminal conduct in question, determined that this was the work of a criminal mind,” the Singapore Home Office said in a statement.
His Execution WAS DELAYED DUE TO HIS LIMITED MENTAL CAPACITY
The court had previously ruled that Nagaenthran was sane and aware of what he was doing, but last year another court ruled that Nagaenthran had limited mental capacity and suspended the death sentence.
IQ LEVEL WAS 69
Nagaenthran, who was taken to an IQ test by a medical professional, had an IQ of 69, which is considered mentally retarded. The Singapore government said Nagaenthran “clearly understood the nature of his actions and did not lose his sense of judging the rightness or wrongness of what he did”. During his trial, Dharmalingam testified that he was initially forced to carry drugs, but later stated that he committed the crime because he needed the money.
60 THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED A Petition
He stated that the execution of a mentally ill person is prohibited under international human rights law, 60 thousand people signed a petition and asked President Halimah Yacob to pardon Nagaenthran.
DRUG LAWS ARE TOO STRICT
In Singapore, which is known as the country with the strictest drug laws in the world, those caught carrying more than 15 grams of heroin are sentenced to death according to the law. In the country, the death penalty is largely considered uncontested.