Urgent Appeal: Halt Imminent Executions of Malaysians and Others in Singapore
Datchinamurthy a/l Kataiah, Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, Saminathan a/l Selvaraju, Lingkesvaran Rajendaren, and Jumaat bin Mohamed Sayed, are those facing imminent executions in Singapore.
Their cases reveal grave violations of international human rights law and standards:
Mandatory death sentences for drug offences, which do not meet the threshold of the “most serious crimes” under international law.
Legal presumptions of guilt under Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act, undermining the right to be presumed innocent.
Barriers to fair trial and legal representation, including breaches of lawyer-client confidentiality and denial of meaningful access to counsel.
In Pannir’s case, even the Singapore Court of Appeal acknowledged the urgency of preserving his testimony for a disciplinary complaint against his former lawyer before his possible execution.
So far in 2025, Singapore has carried out ten executions, including two Malaysian nationals, even as clemency was granted to one prisoner for the first time in nearly 30 years — underscoring the arbitrariness and cruelty of the system. With their most recent appeals dismissed, these men face the real risk of execution with only days’ notice.
We urge the international human rights community to:
Raise urgent calls with the Singaporean government to halt the executions and impose a moratorium on the death penalty.
Urge the Malaysian government in taking diplomatic and legal measures, including engaging international mechanisms, to protect its nationals abroad.
Amplify advocacy that drug-related offences should never carry the death penalty, in line with UN standards and customary international law.
Stand in solidarity with families of those on death row, who are enduring immense anguish with the looming threat of the gallows.
Upcoming Joint Press Conference
To highlight these urgent concerns, Amnesty International Malaysia, the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN), and the Transformative Justice Collective (Singapore) will hold a joint press conference:
Date: Monday, 22 September 2025
Time: 10am – 11am (UTC +8 Malaysia/Singapore)
Venue: Amnesty International Malaysia Office, Petaling Jaya (hybrid format, online option available)
Registration link: https://forms.office.com/e/MDu55tVL6B
The press conference will feature family members of Malaysians and others currently facing imminent execution in Singapore, as well as families of Malaysian prisoners whose death sentences were recently commuted, who will speak on the urgent need to end executions in Singapore.
This is about defending human dignity, the right to life, and the integrity of justice in our region. As Malaysia, now ASEAN Chair, has taken steps towards abolition by ending the mandatory death penalty, it is critical that international voices join ours to press Singapore to follow suit and end this inhumane punishment.
We cannot afford silence — executions may be scheduled at any time. We appeal for your urgent intervention, statements, and advocacy to help stop these deaths and push the region towards abolition.