Pannir was unaware he was carrying heroin.
Singapore’s death sentence on Malaysian drug trafficking convict Pannir Selvam Pranthaman is unlawful under international human rights law, said Amnesty International.
The rights group urged the Malaysian government to intervene before the execution scheduled for Thursday, citing violations of human rights protections that render the sentence arbitrary and unlawful.
“He was sentenced to death for drug-related offences, which do not meet the threshold of the ‘most serious crimes’ under international human rights law.
“The death penalty was also imposed as a mandatory sentence, preventing the judge from considering the circumstances of the offence or his background.
“Under Singapore’s system, he was found to be a ‘courier’, but since the prosecution did not provide him with a Certificate of Substantial Assistance, the judge had no choice but to impose the mandatory death sentence,” Amnesty International stated.
The group also criticised Singapore’s judicial process, arguing that allowing the prosecution to decide between life and death violates the right to a fair trial, as the prosecution is not a neutral party.
As the current ASEAN chair and Singapore’s neighbour, Malaysia must intervene, it said.
“With just over two days left, the government must act urgently to stop this unlawful and arbitrary execution.”
Amnesty International has gathered more than 1,000 petitions from civil society and the public worldwide, urging Malaysia to intervene and seek a commutation of Pannir Selvam’s sentence.
“We renew our appeal for Singapore to halt the execution and establish a moratorium on all executions as a step towards abolishing the death penalty,” it added.
Pannir Selvam was convicted in 2017 for acting as a courier to import 51.84g of diamorphine (heroin) at the Woodlands checkpoint on 3 September 2014. Under Singapore’s drug laws, possession of more than 15g of heroin carries the death penalty.
Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh also urged the Malaysian government to plead for mercy, highlighting Pannir’s cooperation with Singaporean authorities and his potential to assist in a Malaysian investigation.
He argued that Pannir was unaware he was carrying heroin.
“He was given a package by a Malaysian citizen, who told him it contained medication for delivery to Singapore.
“Pannir has consistently denied knowing the package contained 51.48g of heroin.
“Despite providing authorities with the name, MyKad number, home address, and phone number of the Malaysian who recruited him—who assured him there were no illegal substances—Pannir was arrested in Singapore and sentenced to death in 2017.
“He also provided information on a Singaporean citizen involved, which led to their arrest by Singaporean police,” Ramkarpal said.
On Wednesday, Pannir’s family lodged another police report on the Malaysian who recruited him. They were informed that an investigation file had been opened and an officer assigned to the case after a decade of waiting.
Ramkarpal stressed that if Pannir’s cooperation was valuable to Malaysian drug investigations, this should be considered in issuing the Certificate of Substantial Assistance.
On Sunday, Pannir’s family received notice that his execution was scheduled for Thursday, 20 February.
“We believe Pannir is a drug mule and should not be executed while drug syndicates remain free, likely continuing to recruit Malaysians to unknowingly smuggle drugs across borders.
“Given his assistance to Malaysian authorities, we appeal to Singapore to halt the execution,” he said.
Ramkarpal also called for Pannir’s repatriation to serve his sentence in Malaysia and continue assisting with investigations.
He noted that Indonesia had repatriated seven death row inmates—five Australians, one Filipino woman, and one Frenchman.
“In one case, the Filipino woman, Mary Jane Veloso, provided crucial information that led to the arrest of a drug syndicate mastermind. As a result, Indonesia returned her to the Philippines as a death row inmate, where she remains detained rather than being released.
“Last year, two Malaysians detained at Guantanamo Bay for their role in the 2002 Bali bombing were also allowed to return to Malaysia under government supervision and a rehabilitation process,” he said.