As five men are now believed to be at imminent risk in Singapore, we, the undersigned civil society organisations, call on the Singaporean authorities to immediately halt all executions. We also urge the Malaysian government to take all possible steps to protect the rights of its nationals facing execution in Singapore and to press for a complete end to the death penalty, at home and internationally.

Among those who are at imminent risk of execution are Datchinamurthy a/l Kataiah, Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, Saminathan a/l Selvaraju, Lingkesvaran Rajendaren and Jumaat bin Mohamed Sayed. All of them were sentenced to death for drug trafficking, and have each spent seven to ten years on death row. While Jumaat is a Singaporean, the other four are Malaysians. The five of them had their most recent appeals dismissed, after many years of struggle for justice against all odds.

Singapore has already executed ten men, including two Malaysians, so far this year. In August 2025, Singapore’s Cabinet advised the President to grant clemency to one person on death row—the first time this has been done in almost three decades. While we welcome this rare decision, it only underscores the arbitrariness and cruelty of the death penalty for all others still at risk.

Individuals on death row in Singapore and their families are only given four to seven days’ notice of their execution. As we urge the authorities of both countries to protect human rights and end the death penalty, we also encourage Malaysians and Singaporeans to act now to help stop the imminent executions of these individuals; we cannot afford to wait, knowing that any of these individuals may get an execution notice in the coming days.

At this critical juncture, the Malaysian government must act decisively to protect the lives of its nationals and all those facing execution, as well as push for the abolition of the death penalty in the region. Many young Malaysians, often from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, have been vulnerable to being recruited into the drug trade, and the Malaysian government has a moral duty to advocate for them, not leave them to die in foreign prisons. Having abolished the mandatory death penalty in 2023, as it continues its journey towards full abolition Malaysia must now go further by extending its advocacy to protect its nationals abroad who remain at risk under Singapore’s harsh and cruel mandatory death penalty regime.

Meanwhile, Singaporeans who are horrified by these executions must speak out against this inhumane punishment. Singapore is increasingly alone in the region in implementing the mandatory death penalty and carrying out executions for drug trafficking.

The Case of Pannir Selvam Pranthaman

One of the Malaysian nationals at grave risk is Pannir Selvam Pranthaman. His case is riddled with violations of international human rights law and standards, and demonstrates fundamental flaws in Singapore’s cruel capital punishment regime.

In 2017, Pannir was convicted of importing into Singapore 51.84g of diamorphine (heroin) and was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty. Despite evidence that he was a mere “courier” and had provided substantive information to the authorities, Singapore’s Attorney-General’s Chambers refused to issue Pannir a Certificate of Substantive Assistance. Without such a certificate, the court had no choice but to sentence him to death. Pannir, through his family, has shared information with the Royal Malaysia Police regarding syndicate operations along Malaysia’s shores. His case has also been affected by the lack of legal representation during police interrogation, restrictive laws that curtailed post-conviction appeals, the denial of legal aid at the post-appeal stage, and breaches of privileged communication between those facing the death penalty and lawyers.

On 5 September 2025, the Singapore Court of Appeal dismissed Pannir’s latest application for a stay of execution, even as his disciplinary complaint against his former lawyer remains unresolved. The court said in its judgment that the Law Society of Singapore may need to act urgently to “preserve” Pannir’s testimony before his execution—a shocking and macabre acknowledgment of the grave cruelty of his looming execution.

The Use of Legal Presumptions of Guilt in Capital Cases: A Valiant Fight by Datchinamurthy, Saminathan, Lingkesvaran and Jumaat

In August 2022, Datchinamurthy, Saminathan, Lingkesvaran and Jumaat filed a challenge against the constitutionality of the legal presumptions of guilt in relation to trafficking, possession and knowledge under Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act. They each had been convicted with reliance on two such presumptions contained in Section 18(1) and 18(2) of that Act.

The Misuse of Drugs Act allows legal presumptions to be used by the prosecution, whereby the burden of proof is shifted onto the defendant to be rebutted by them to the legal standard of “on a balance of probabilities”. While other jurisdictions such as Canada, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom have rejected the use of legal presumptions to be rebutted on the balance of probabilities—on the basis that it allows for an accused person to be convicted despite reasonable doubt still existing—Singapore continues to apply such legal presumptions in cases of trafficking, possession and knowledge in capital drug cases. Presumptions of guilt effectively undermine fair trial guarantees under international human rights law and violate the right to be presumed innocent, a peremptory norm of customary international law. Further, the presumption of possession and knowledge can be applied together in Singapore—the use of which has been described in other courts as a severe derogation from the presumption of innocence.

It was a long, arduous journey for the four men to see this challenge through. Legal aid schemes in Singapore do not cover the filing of extra-ordinary appeals. As they had no means to engage a lawyer privately, the four men were unrepresented for a long time, forcing them to appear in court without lawyers to argue their challenge by themselves. When foreign senior counsel offered to represent them pro bono, the court ruled that they would have to argue by themselves the request to admit these foreign counsels to represent them in Singapore —creating an outrageous situation in which persons on death row had to present highly technical legal arguments while the foreign senior lawyers could only watch. In the end, the Singapore Courts rejected their application to have these lawyers represent them.

It was only about two years after their constitutional challenge was filed that some local lawyers agreed to take on the case, which was dismissed last month. With the conclusion of this case, there is no longer any pending legal proceeding to prevent the Singaporean authorities from scheduling their executions.

Grave Concerns Over Other Violations of International Human Rights Law and Standards

We remind the Singaporean authorities that international safeguards on the use of the death penalty prohibit carrying out executions while appeals or other recourse procedures are pending. Surely it can be recognised that Pannir’s involvement—to instruct counsel, give testimony and respond to any evidence raised by his former lawyer—is the only way to ensure a fair outcome in his complaint lodged with the Law Society of Singapore. This is especially critical given that the complaint includes a direct conversation involving Pannir and his former lawyer; and that several other persons on death row who had also filed complaints against this same lawyer have already been executed before their testimonies could be heard.

Like Pannir, both Datchinamurthy and Saminathan also had their private correspondence copied and forwarded by the Singapore Prison Service, without authorisation, to the Attorney-General’s Chambers—an act that Singapore’s Court of Appeal has ruled to be unlawful.

Individuals on death row in Singapore have raised serious concerns about the extremely prohibitive barriers that they face in filing legal applications after their criminal appeal has concluded. They have also repeatedly brought up how difficult it is for them to engage lawyers in Singapore, given the risk of onerous fines, reprimands and costs that lawyers have to bear for taking up capital cases at later stages. Conditions on death row in Singapore have worsened over the years, with prisoners enduring isolation in solitary cells, severely restricted communications between them and their loved ones, and the prison authorities making it close to impossible for persons involved in the same legal challenge to confer with one another.

The death penalty for drug offences violates international human rights law and standards, which limit the use of capital punishment only to the “most serious crimes”, understood as intentional killing. Drug trafficking does not meet this threshold. Both the United Nations Human Rights Committee and the United Nations Special Rapporteurs have consistently affirmed this position. Yet the vast majority of executions that take place in Singapore are carried out as part of the country’s extremely punitive “war on drugs”—demonstrating how far out of step Singapore is with the international community when it comes to human rights and justice.

Lawrence Wong’s New Premiership

As Singapore’s new prime minister, Lawrence Wong has an opportunity to take the momentous step of leading Singapore away from the cruel and inhumane use of the death penalty that has taken hundreds of lives since independence. Imposing an immediate moratorium on executions and repealing the mandatory death penalty would be critical urgent steps that he could lead on, with a view towards full abolition. This will not only spare the many people currently on death row, but also ensure that Singapore is not left behind by the international trend away from the use of capital punishment.

Prime Minister Wong has so far not made any public statements on Singapore’s use of the death penalty. However, the first clemency granted to a death row prisoner in 27 years—which would not have been possible without Wong’s Cabinet advising President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to do so—shows that change is possible. Prime Minister Wong should not remain silent on this issue, and should demonstrate leadership in ending Singapore’s use of the death penalty.

Malaysia’s Role as ASEAN Chair: A Chance to Lead on Abolition

Malaysia’s abolition of the mandatory death penalty came into effect in July 2023, preceding a comprehensive resentencing process in court for all individuals sentenced to the mandatory death penalty prior to the amendments, including those convicted of drug trafficking. As a result, most death sentences have been set aside and replaced with 30 to 40 years imprisonment and, when applicable, whipping.

We are encouraged by the recent announcement that the moratorium on executions continues to be observed in Malaysia and that a new study is being commissioned to consider the potential abolition of the death penalty. As the current Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Malaysia is uniquely positioned to champion human rights in the region. Malaysia’s intervention in these cases would not only demonstrate its commitment to support its nationals facing execution abroad, but also its leadership in advancing a human rights agenda within ASEAN.

We call on the authorities of the two countries to:

1. Engage in swift and effective intervention: Utilise all available channels, including direct diplomatic appeals to urge the Government of Singapore to halt the executions of Datchinamurthy, Pannir, Saminathan, and Lingkesvaran, and to prevent further executions from taking place in Singapore, including those that would be unlawful under international law and standards;
2. Leverage ASEAN mechanisms and lead by example: Utilise Malaysia’s position as ASEAN Chair to advocate for regional cooperation to abolish the death penalty, while moving towards full abolition at home to set a strong example for the region.
3. Commit to steps toward full abolition of the death penalty: Implement or maintain a moratorium on executions, and commission independent, evidence-based and transparent studies on moving away from capital punishment.

This is not merely about saving the lives of a select few men languishing on death row in Singapore’s Changi Prison. It is about ending the cruelty of the death penalty, ensuring that both Singapore and Malaysia uphold the dignity and rights of all, and demonstrating the leadership needed to move their countries and the region towards abolition.

We call on the Malaysian Government to act without delay, and on the Singaporean authorities to implement an immediate moratorium on the death penalty, and refrain from issuing any execution notices.

*On 21 September 2025, Datchinamurthy Kataiah’s family received news that his execution will be carried out on 25 September, 2025 at Changi Prison.

1. Pada hari memperingati pemergian mendiang Teoh Beng Hock, Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM, Tan Sri Azam Baki mengeluarkan kenyataan memohon maaf, manakala pimpinan DAP pula mengadakan sidang media untuk memohon maaf dan menggesa keluarga Teoh agar menerima bayaran pampasan kewangan secara tanpa syarat.

2. Namun amat mengecewakan, baik pihak kerajaan mahupun parti politik seakan-akan mengelak daripada menangani inti pati sebenar kes ini, iaitu tiga tuntutan utama keluarga Teoh: i. mencari kebenaran, ii. menegakkan keadilan dan iii. melaksanakan reformasi institusi.

3. Sekiranya kerajaan cuba menutup kes ini dengan pampasan wang ringgit, atau memperkecilkan tragedi ini kepada urusan peribadi antara DAP dan keluarga mangsa, implikasinya adalah ia akan membiarkan penyalahgunaan kuasa dalam institusi berleluasa serta menyemarakkan budaya ‘bebas daripada hukuman’ dalam kalangan penguatkuasa.

4. Lebih mengecewakan lagi, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution masih membisu mengenai isu hak asasi manusia yang penting ini sejak pengumuman keputusan NFA (no further action). Hal ini satu kegagalan kepemimpinan yang serius.

5. Perdana Menteri sering tampil di pentas antarabangsa; contohnya, sehari selepas ulang tahun kematian mendiang Teoh Beng Hock, beliau mengecam serangan udara Israel terhadap Syria. Pendirian ini wajar dipuji. Namun kami mendesak Perdana Menteri untuk menunjukkan kelantangan dan komitmen yang sama dalam menangani ketidakadilan di dalam negara, seperti kes Teoh Beng Hock. Jika tidak, komitmen hak asasi manusia kerajaan hanya akan dilihat sebagai retorik kosong dan bahan ketawa di mata dunia.

6. Kes ini melibatkan nyawa seorang rakyat, penyalahgunaan kuasa awam, integriti institusi, dan maruah negara. Oleh itu, kami mendesak Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Dalam Negeri sendiri tampil menjawab tiga tuntutan keluarga Teoh:

a. Mencari Kebenaran: Menubuhkan pasukan siasatan jenayah antarabangsa dan profesional yang bebas, seperti yang disarankan oleh keputusan Mahkamah Rayuan, untuk menyiasat kematian ini secara menyeluruh dan mengenakan tindakan terhadap semua pegawai SPRM yang terlibat.

b.Tegakkan Keadilan: Mendakwa dan mensabitkan kesalahan terhadap pegawai yang melanggar hak asasi manusia bawah Seksyen 302 atau 304 Kanun Keseksaan.

c. Reformasi Institusi: Melaksanakan pindaan undang-undang dengan segera bagi mengelakkan kematian dalam tahanan akibat salah guna kuasa. Ini termasuk meminda Seksyen 30 Akta SPRM yang berkait dengan had masa soal siasat dan rakaman kenyataan, serta menggubal undang-undang menentang penyiksaan.

7. Kami juga ingin mengingatkan Pakatan Harapan tentang tanggungjawabnya sebagai parti komponen pemerintah. Dahulu, pimpinan PH lantang mengkritik kelemahan kerajaan lama dan memohon mandat rakyat untuk menuntut keadilan buat mendiang Teoh Beng Hock. Hari ini, setelah mendapat kuasa pentadbiran, siasatan, penguatkuasaan dan pendakwaan, dengan portfolio Menteri Dalam Negeri disandang oleh senator PKR sendiri, PH tidak lagi boleh beralasan atau menuding jari.

8. Dengan kuasa siasatan dan pendakwaan yang ada, kerajaan boleh dan wajar menyiasat semula dan mengambil tindakan sewajarnya. Malah, setelah hampir 52 bulan atau lebih 4 tahun mentadbir mulai tahun 2018, alasan “reformasi perlukan masa” tidak lagi boleh diterima.

9. Kami sekali lagi menyeru kerajaan untuk menunjukkan keazaman politik dan memberikan maklum balas secara langsung terhadap tiga tuntutan keluarga Teoh.

10. Jika tiada rasa belas kasihan, bukanlah ia manusia; Jika tiada rasa malu dan benci kejahatan, bukanlah ia manusia; Jika tiada rasa rendah diri dan tolak ansur, bukanlah ia manusia; Jika tiada rasa benar dan silapnya, bukanlah ia manusia.

11. Kes Teoh Beng Hock adalah tanda aras kepada moral politik dan keinsafan pentadbiran. Enam belas tahun telah berlalu, keadilan masih belum ditegakkan. Kes ini menguji sejauh mana pemimpin negara sanggup mempertahankan nilai kemanusiaan, nurani, etika dan prinsip kedaulatan undang-undang.

12. Pendekatan Perdana Menteri Anwar, DAP, dan Pakatan Harapan dalam isu ini akan dinilai oleh para anak muda serta mahasiswa. Jika mereka terus mengelak atau berdolak-dalih, undi kami akan menjadi hukuman terhadap mereka pada pilihan raya akan datang.

Disokong oleh:

1. ⁠KLSCAH Youth 隆雪华青
2. University of Malaya Association for New Youth (UMANY) 马大新青年
3. MANDIRI
4. Liga Demokratik Rakyat
5. HAYAT
6. Undi 18
7. Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY)
8. Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)
9. New Era University College Student Union 新纪元大学学院学生会
10. STUDENT PROGRESSIVE FRONT UUM
11. Federasi Pemuda Kebangsaan
12. Himpunan Advokasi Rakyat Malaysia (HARAM)
13. Demokrat Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (Demokrat UKM)
14. ⁠Ikatan Mahasiswa Demokratik Malaysia
15. Pertubuhan Mahasiswa Kongres Gombak (CONGRESS)
16. Suara Mahasiswa UMS
17. Liga Mahasiswa Malaysia
18. Liga Mahasiswa Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
19. Liga Mahasiswa Universiti Sains Malaysia
20. Liga Mahasiswa Universiti Malaya
21. Liga Mahasiswa Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin
22. Pejuang Siswa UM
23. Gerakan Mahasiswa Maju UPM
24. Ikatan Anak Muda Tawau – IKAT
25. Gerakan Perempuan Melawan
26. Kesatuan Mahasiswa Universiti Alternatif
27. Borneo Komrad
28. Malacca Chinese Assembly Hall Youth Section 马六甲中华大会堂青年团
29. Pemuda Pertubuhan Penganut Dewa Heng Soon Kong Tai Bak Gong Senai
30. GERAKAN MAHASISWA MAJU UPM
31. GenZScope
32. Persatuan Kawan Karib Melaka
33. Selangor and KL Hokkien Association Youth Section 雪隆福青
34. Kuala Lumpur Eng Choon Hoey Kuan Youth Section吉隆坡永春会馆青年团
35. Pertubuhan Anak Muda Maju
36. The Selangor and KL Nan Ann Association Youth Section雪隆南安青
37. Angkatan Generasi Insaf 新华青
38. Agora Society Malaysia 群议社
39. Persatuan Kwang Tung Selangor dan Kuala Lumpur Youth Section雪隆广东会馆青年部
40. Persatuan Bahasa Cina Universiti Malaya 马来亚大学华文学会
41. Gerakan Belia Sepunjabi Malaysia (GBSM)
42. Cahaya Society
43. Sunway University Chinese Cultural Society 双威大学华文学会
44. Youth Bureau of Negeri Sembilan Chinese Assembly Hall 森美兰中华大会堂青年团

隆雪华青已于昨日顺利召开第17届理事会复选会议，遴选出团内要职。此次复选会议是继6月21日举办的团员大会暨改选后召开的会议，由团长及20名个人团员与团体代表组成的新届理事会。