UN experts urge Singapore to halt execution of Pannir Selvam, call for Malaysia’s intervention
UN human rights experts have called on Singapore to halt the execution of Malaysian national Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, scheduled for 20 February 2025, stating that the death penalty for drug offences violates international law. They also urged Malaysia to intervene in his case.
Geneva – The United Nations (UN) human rights experts have urged Singapore to halt the planned execution of Malaysian national Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, set for 20 February 2025.
In a statement released on Tuesday (18 Feb), they reiterated that the death penalty for drug offences violates international human rights law.
“We have repeatedly called on Singapore to halt executions for drug offences, which are illegal under international human rights law on several grounds,” the experts said.
Pannir’s family was notified just four days before his scheduled execution, a practice that has been widely criticised by human rights groups.
The UN experts emphasised that international law permits the death penalty only for “crimes of extreme gravity involving intentional killing.”
They stated that mandatory death sentences are “inherently over-inclusive and inevitably violate human rights law.”
Concerns over Singapore’s execution rate
The experts expressed alarm at the high rate of executions for drug-related offences in Singapore.
According to their statement, at least eight people have been executed for such offences since 1 October 2024—an average of nearly two per month over the past four and a half months.
“There is no evidence that the death penalty does more than any other punishment to curb or prevent drug trafficking,” the experts said, challenging the effectiveness of capital punishment as a deterrent.
They called on Singaporean authorities to commute Pannir’s sentence to imprisonment in line with international human rights law and standards.
Call for Malaysia’s intervention
Beyond urging Singapore to halt the execution, the UN experts also appealed to Malaysia to take immediate action.
“We also call on Malaysian authorities to take any steps at their disposal to support Pranthaman’s case,” they stated.
The experts have written to both the Singaporean and Malaysian governments regarding the matter, but it remains unclear what further diplomatic efforts, if any, will be taken.
On 6 February, 20 civil society and human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, urged Malaysia to take “immediate and decisive action” to advocate for Pannir, who has exhausted all legal avenues since his 2017 sentencing.
Pannir Selvam’s family has been fighting to halt his execution while also seeking accountability for the alleged legal misconduct of a Singaporean lawyer in his case.
They have lodged a complaint with the Law Society of Singapore but claim no meaningful action has been taken. With time running out, they continue to urge authorities to intervene.
Pannir’s case has drawn increasing attention from human rights organisations and activists, with a candlelight vigil planned in his memory on Wednesday night.
The event will also honour the 12 individuals executed in Singapore over the past year under its capital punishment laws.
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