United Nations experts have urged Singapore to immediately halt the execution of Malaysian national Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, scheduled for 20 February, citing violations of international human rights law. The call comes as Pranthaman’s family received just four days’ notice of his impending execution for drug trafficking charges.
The UN experts emphasised that under international law, the death penalty should only be applied to crimes of extreme gravity involving intentional killing. They criticised mandatory death sentences as inherently over-inclusive and in violation of human rights law. “There is no evidence that the death penalty does more than any other punishment to curb or prevent drug trafficking,” the experts stated.
The rate of execution notices for drug-related offences in Singapore has been described as “highly alarming” by the UN, with eight individuals executed since 1 October 2024. The experts have called on Singaporean authorities to commute Pranthaman’s death sentence to imprisonment, aligning with international human rights standards. They also urged Malaysian authorities to support Pranthaman’s case.
The UN experts, including Special Rapporteurs and members of the Working Group on arbitrary detention, have communicated their concerns to the governments of both Singapore and Malaysia. They continue to advocate for a halt to executions for drug offences, which they argue are illegal under international human rights law.
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