https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/10/singapore-unlawful-execut...
Responding to the Singapore government scheduling the execution of Malaysian national Pannir Selvam Pranthaman for Wednesday 8 October, Amnesty International’s Death Penalty Advisor Chiara Sangiorgio said:
“The Singapore government must immediately halt the execution of Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, whose case has been marred by multiple layers of unfairness, including violations of international human rights law and standards.
“It is indefensible that Singapore continues to cruelly pursue more executions in the name of drug control. So far in 2025, Singapore has executed 11 people, including nine convicted of drug-related offences. Yet there is no evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect or that it has any impact on the use and availability of drugs.
“Pannir’s case is emblematic of the many flaws in the use of the death penalty in Singapore. Under international law and standards, the imposition of the death penalty for drug-related offences as a mandatory punishment is unlawful.
“Singapore must end its use of the death penalty and instead offer effective protection from drug-related harm, such as by expanding access to health and social services for people who use drugs and addressing the underlying socio-economic causes that lead people to engage in the drug trade.
“Pannir and his family have shown incredible determination and resilience in advocating for the commutation of his death sentence. We join them in asking the Malaysian government, including through its diplomatic relations with Singapore, to take every measure possible to ensure his execution is halted.
“We also renew our call on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) to increase pressure on Singapore to reform its drug control policies in a way that respects human rights.”
Background
Pannir Selvam Pranthaman was convicted on 2 May 2017 of importing 51.84g of diamorphine (heroin) into Singapore and sentenced to the mandatory death penalty.
Following the Court of Appeal’s rejection of his appeal on 5 September 2025, his family received notification on 3 October that the President had rejected Pannir’s clemency request and his execution was set for the third time.
The judge found Pannir Selvam Pranthaman to have been involved only in transporting drugs, meeting the “courier” requirement under the law. However, the prosecution did not provide him with a certificate confirming that he substantively assisted investigations to disrupt further drugs trafficking activities – a second condition to qualify for sentencing discretion in these cases – leaving no option to the judge but to impose the mandatory death penalty. This effectively shifted the decision on sentencing to the prosecution. His conviction also relied on unfair presumptions of guilt, which the prosecution can invoke at trial to infer knowledge or possession of the drugs, shifting the burden of proof on to the defendant.
While on death row in Singapore, Pannir has written poems and songs, including some that have resulted in collaborations with other Malaysian artists.
International law and standards prohibit the imposition of the mandatory death penalty, as it denies the possibility of taking into account the circumstances in the case. International law and standards require that the imposition of the death penalty be restricted to the “most serious crimes” involving intentional killing.
Singapore is one of only four countries, alongside China, Iran and Saudi Arabia, where executions for drug-related offences were confirmed in 2024. As of today, 113 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes and close to three quarters of all countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty unconditionally, in all cases and under any circumstances.
