Pannir Selvam Pranthaman was notified on February 16 that his execution would be carried out in Singapore four days later, on February 20. A Malaysian national, he was convicted in 2017 of importing 51.84g of diamorphine (heroin). The judge found that he had only transported the drugs but sentenced him to the mandatory death penalty as the prosecution did not issue a certificate of substantive assistance. Executions in Singapore have continued at an alarming rate, with nine men hanged since October 2024. We call on the government of Singapore to commute the death sentence of Pannir Selvam Pranthaman and immediately establish an official moratorium on all executions as a first critical step towards abolition of the death penalty.
UPDATE: Pannir Selvam Pranthaman has been granted a stay of execution by the Court of Appeal of Singapore on February 19, 2025 to allow for the filing of an appeal.
Read quote by Malaysia’s Human Rights Campaigner for Amnesty International, Qistina Johari, on this update here.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: May 1, 2025
Dear Prime Minister,
I urge you to immediately to halt the execution of Pannir Selvam Pranthaman and commute his death sentence. The death penalty in his case was imposed in violation of international human rights law and standards, which would render his execution unlawful and arbitrary.
International law and standards set out restrictions on the use of the death penalty to protect against the arbitrary deprivation of life. These include the prohibition against imposing this punishment as a mandatory sentence; for offenses that do not meet the threshold of the “most serious crimes”, including drug-related offenses; and after proceedings that do not meet the highest standards for a fair trial. Violations of all these safeguards are present in this case.
I am alarmed at the high rate of executions recorded in Singapore in recent months, with nine men hanged since the beginning of October 2024 alone. Singapore is one of only five countries known to have carried out executions for drug related offenses in 2023. Punitive drug policies have failed to tackle the use and availability of drugs in the country and offer no effective protection from drug-related harm.
I call on you to immediately intervene to halt the execution of Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, commute his death sentence, and establish an official moratorium on all executions.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
Other Urgent Actions for this Case
- First UA Issued: [Singapore 107.24]
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