Singapore urged not to hang disabled Malaysian in drug case

Singapore is due to hang a Malaysian man next week for smuggling 1.5 ounces of heroin into the country

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Singapore is due to hang a Malaysian man next week for smuggling a small amount of heroin into the country, but legal and human rights groups are urging the execution be halted because the man is intellectually disabled.

Nagaenthran K.Dharmalingam, then 21, was detained in April 2009 for trying to smuggle nearly 43 grams (1.5 ounces) of heroin into Singapore, found strapped to his left thigh. He was sentenced to death by hanging in November 2010 under Singapore’s strict drug laws.

Death penalty opponents say Nagaenthran's IQ was disclosed during the trial as 69, a level that is internationally recognized as an intellectual disability. They say he was also found to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a drinking disorder that together could affect his judgment, decision making and impulse control.

Nagaenthran's appeal to reduce the penalty to life in prison failed and a final push for a presidential clemency was rejected last year.