Malaysian calls fall on deaf ears as Singapore executes drug trafficker Prabu Pathmanathan
- The hanging of Prabu Pathmanathan comes despite high-level intervention from Malaysia. Mahathir Mohamad’s government has made human rights key to its agenda and vowed to abolish the death penalty
Malaysian officials and activists on Friday criticised neighbouring Singapore’s decision to hang a Malaysian drug trafficker despite high-level intervention from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s government for a stay of execution.
Prabu Pathmanathan, 31, was the first Malaysian to be hanged in Singapore since Mahathir’s government announced in September that it would soon move to abolish the death penalty. Malaysia has installed a moratorium on the punishment until then.
The administration, fresh off its election victory in May, has made human rights a key part of its policy agenda.
In some severe cases, execution had been mandatory – meaning judges had no alternative sentence if the accused was found guilty.
But after a review in 2012, the city state granted judges more discretion.