Kuala Lumpur: Law Association for Asia and The Pacific (LawAsia), a regional organisation promoting legal cooperation, today expressed deep concern over the upcoming execution of convicted Malaysian Pannir Selvam Pranthaman who faces execution in Singapore tomorrow.
Shyam Divan, president of LawAsia, emphasised that the organization has long advocated against the death penalty.
“LawAsia reiterates its 2018 resolution calling for a moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said in a statement.
In 2018, LawAsia called on governments in the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific – a regional development arm of the United Nations that covers countries in Asia, the Pacific and some parts of the Middle East – that retain the death penalty to review their policies on capital punishment.
The association also urged a moratorium on executions in regions where reviews of death penalty policies are underway.
Shyam further supported an earlier statement from the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, issued yesterday, which called on Singapore to uphold international human rights standards.
“We call upon the government of Singapore to adhere to international human rights standards and obligations,” he said.
LawAsia also urged the President of Singapore to consider using clemency powers under Article 22P (1) of Singapore’s Constitution to commute Pannir Selvam’s death sentence.
“This would be a crucial step in ensuring justice and upholding human rights,” Shyam said.
Earlier today, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association issued an urgent appeal to the Singapore government to halt Pannir Selvam’s hanging tomorrow.
The 36-year-old was convicted in 2017 for acting as a drug courier and handed the mandatory death penalty under Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act.
He had claimed to have cooperated with authorities by providing information on the actual trafficker but was denied a Certificate of Substantive Assistance that could have spared him from capital punishment.
His clemency application was also rejected by the President of Singapore, leaving Pannir with no further legal recourse.
Pannir Selvam’s scheduled execution has reignited debates about the harsh penalties for drug-related crimes in Singapore, which continues to enforce strict anti-drug laws.
