SingaporeA mentally handicapped man has been executed by hanging in Singapore. Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, 33, had been on death row since 2010 for smuggling a small amount of heroin from Malaysia to Singapore. Human rights organizations are shocked at the news. “We are deeply saddened by this incredible atrocity,” Amnesty International said in a statement.
The long-running issue surrounding Dharmalingam has been causing international outrage for years. At a previous hearing, he was found to have an IQ of 69, which is considered an intellectual disability. However, the authorities in Singapore are convinced that Dharmalingam knew exactly what he was doing and what the punishment was.
In 2009, the Malaysian tried to smuggle about 45 grams of heroin into the country, equivalent to three full tablespoons. Singapore has one of the toughest drug offense penalties in the world. Possession of more than 15 grams of heroin, 30 grams of cocaine or 500 grams of cannabis carries the death penalty. Since a change in the law in 2011, the judge can decide to commute the sentence to life imprisonment, but this rarely occurs in practice.
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Worldwide protest
The death penalty for Dharmalingam sparked a worldwide outcry in recent months, from EU representatives and UN experts to billionaire Richard Branson and actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry. The Prime Minister of Malaysia also called on Singapore to commute the death sentence to life in prison. British human rights activists asked Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob for a pardon.
Dharmalingam stated several times that he was not aware of any harm. He would have smuggled the package containing the drugs out of financial need. His father had to undergo acute heart surgery and he and his family did not have enough money for that. At the trial, Dharmalingam’s family described him as sweet and caring, but also impulsive and vulnerable.
Singapore’s higher court ruled, according to The Guardian that the man received “a fair trial” and was not “intellectually disabled,” as his family claims. The Singapore government maintains that the death penalty is the most effective deterrent to drug crime. “The appeals court ruled that this was the work of a criminal mind, weighing the risks and rewards of the criminal behavior,” the Interior Ministry said in an earlier statement.
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death row
Dharmalingam’s mother said her son’s mental condition deteriorated on death row, where he was held in solitary confinement. He wouldn’t understand that he was going to be hanged and assumed he would be going home soon.
On Monday, hundreds of people in Singapore held candlelight vigils to protest the planned execution. That day, Dharmalingam’s mother filed a final legal complaint to stop the execution, but it was denied.
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astonishment
The whole state of affairs is causing great bewilderment among various international bodies. According to human rights organization Reprieve, Dharmalingam’s name will go down in history as ‘the victim of a tragic miscarriage of justice’. “The hanging of a mentally retarded man for being forced to carry less than three tablespoons of diamorphine is unjustifiable and is a blatant violation of international law.”
The death penalty in Singapore is “disproportionately aimed at drug smugglers rather than the drug lords who trade or manipulate them.” “Most of the victims, like Dharmalingam, are poor, vulnerable and come from marginalized communities. This is a broken system,” said chairman Maya Foa.
Executions of Dutch citizens abroad
Zahra Bahrami (1965-2011), an Iranian-Dutch woman hanged in Iran. She was found guilty of possession and trafficking of drugs. A search of her home allegedly found cocaine and opium. Both the sentence and the execution were widely criticized.
Johannes van Damme (1935-1994), hanged in Singapore for heroin smuggling. The Dutch government and Queen Beatrix tried unsuccessfully for years to prevent the execution.
Alexander Aronson (1934-1975) was hanged in Iraq on December 15, 1975. Saddam Hussein’s regime accused him of spying for Israel. Aronson was arrested in Iraqi Kurdistan. He provided medical assistance there.
Marinus van der Lubbe (1909-1934), allegedly set fire to the Reichstag building in Berlin in February 1933. A month earlier, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had come to power. Van der Lubbe was beheaded in February 1934. To this day there are doubts about the guilt of Van der Lubbe.
Mata Hari (1876-1917), alleged World War I spy. She was the mistress of high-ranking French officers, from whom she allegedly stole military secrets. The Dutch was sentenced to death in France and killed by firing squad. Her real name was Margaretha Geertruida Zelle.
Jan van Leiden (1509-1536) led a short-lived religious dictatorship in the German city of MĂĽnster. After the fall of his reign of terror, he was tortured and murdered. The body then hung on the church tower in MĂĽnster for nearly half a century as a terrifying example.
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