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Singapore President Halimah Yacob has responded to Malaysia King, Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, to convey that the Malaysian man on death row has been accorded full due process under the law, according to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Dec. 3.
Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported on Nov. 23 that Malaysia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Kamarudin Jaffar, shared in parliament that the king had written to the president of Singapore, appealing for clemency for Nagaenthran A/L K Dharmalingam, 33, who is facing the death penalty for drug offences.
"We tried all we could to help, and I can reveal that apart from the foreign minister and the prime minister, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had also written to the Singapore president for the sentence to be reduced for a certain case, or the individual to be freed," Kamarudin said, as reported by FMT.
PM Lee, Vivian Balakrishnan previously responded
FMT added that Kamarudin was responding to a question by a member of parliament, Kasthuri Patto, questioning Malaysia's plan to uphold human rights in the country.
Kasthuri also thanked Malaysia's foreign ministry for intervening in Nagaenthran's case.
Bernama reported on Nov. 7 that Malaysia Prime Minister Ismail Sabri wrote to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong seeking leniency on behalf of Nagaenthran.
In response, on Nov. 12, a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said both PM Lee and foreign affairs minister Vivian Balakrishnan replied to their counterparts to convey that Nagaenthran "has been accorded full due process under the law".
Background
Nagaenthran, a Malaysian, has been convicted and sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
He was initially scheduled for execution on Nov. 10, but it was delayed after he tested positive for Covid-19.
Nagaenthran reportedly has an IQ of 69, and individuals who score below IQ 70 are internationally recognised as having an intellectual disability.
The Singapore courts have found that Nagaenthran "knew what he was doing" when he committed the offence, the Singapore government said in a previous statement.
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Top images via Halimah Yacob/Facebook and Istana Negara/Facebook