PETALING JAYA: Lawyer N. Surendran has urged the government to help save Malaysian citizen Prabu Pathmanathan, who is on death row in Singapore, whilst also calling on the Singapore government to halt the execution.
The Lawyers for Liberty advisor said as Malaysia recognised the "barbarity of the death penalty" and had announced the total abolition of it, he called on the government to do everything possible to save its citizens abroad who are facing execution.
"We now urge the Malaysian government to make urgent and strenuous efforts to save Prabu Pathmanathan from the gallows this Friday.
"The continued use of the death penalty for drug offences is a violation of the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), of which Singapore is a state party," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Oct 24).
Surendran urged the Singapore government to halt the execution and commute his mandatory death sentence.
Surendran said Prabu's family had been informed that the execution would be held at Changi Prison on Friday (Oct 26) for alleged drug trafficking.
"The family were only informed of the Friday hanging on Oct 20 via a letter from the Singapore Prison Services, which is less than one week's notice.
"In the same chilling letter, the family was asked to make the 'necessary funeral arrangements'," he said.
According to Surendran, there were doubts surrounding Prabu's conviction, adding that the drugs found in the vehicle was driven by another person, and not Prabu.
He added that the confessions obtained against Prabu by the prosecution for the trial was made under duress.
On Oct 15, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong said the Malaysian government would go ahead with plans to completely abolish the death penalty.
Source from MSN News
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