A Malaysian man convicted of trafficking 51 grams of heroin was granted a last-minute reprieve from execution by a Singapore appeals court on Wednesday.
Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, 37, was granted a stay of execution just a day before he was set to be hanged by the Singapore Prison authorities on Thursday, human rights activists fighting against his capital punishment said.
He was arrested in 2014 for carrying 51.8 grams of diamorphine, some strapped to his groin and some concealed in his motorcycle, into the city state. He was sentenced to death in 2017 by a high court judge, who said he was the “courier” involved in transporting the prohibited drug inside Singapore.
Singapore has a zero-tolerance policy for drug-related offences and regards them as the “most serious crime”. The government says the death penalty is a deterrent against drug trafficking and that most of its citizens support capital punishment.
However, critics say the law only targets low-level traffickers and couriers.
The appeals court allowed the stay of execution at the eleventh hour on the grounds that there is an ongoing constitutional challenge by other death row prisoners to a section under the drug law, said Kirsten Han, a Singaporean anti-death penalty activist.
While Pannir is not directly involved in the case, he has argued in the court that this case could potentially change the outcome of his conviction.
The appeals court also allowed his bid to mount another appeal against his conviction.
“This is a huge relief and very good news, but a stay of execution is not a complete stop,” Ms Han said. “What Singapore needs now is an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty, with a view to full abolition. Pannir lives tomorrow, but as Singaporeans we must keep fighting to make sure no one is killed in our names ever again.”
Pannir claimed he didn’t know he was carrying drugs, but the court had to sentence him to death as prosecutors refused to issue the Malaysian man a certificate of substantive assistance stating he had helped their investigation which would have spared him the noose.
Singapore carried out nine executions between 1 October 2024 and 7 February 2025, including eight of individuals convicted of drug trafficking.
