Singapore lawyer tells Putrajaya to file urgent challenge at ICJ as Pannir's family notified of execution day

The greatest fear for family members of Malaysian national Pannir Selvam Pranthaman was realised today after they were given a four-day notice to prepare for his execution, as a prominent lawyer tells Putrajaya to take urgent action to save its citizen's life.

In a letter to his sister Sangkari Pranthaman, the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) said that her brother would be executed on Feb 20 and that the family would be granted additional visiting hours until then.

Meanwhile, rights lawyer M Ravi, who represented Pannir and many other prisoners sentenced to death after controversial trials, has made an urgent appeal to the Malaysian government.

"The only recourse Pannir now has is for the Malaysian government to urgently file an application at the International Court of Justice to challenge Pannir’s execution under international human rights law," said Ravi.

Today's execution notice came less than two weeks after 20 civil society and human rights groups, including Amnesty International, called on Malaysia to take "immediate and decisive action" on Pannir's behalf, saying the 37-year-old had exhausted all legal options after being sentenced to death under Singapore's controversial drug laws.

"Nothing stands between Pannir having his life taken away from him at any given moment by the Singapore government," they said in a joint statement on 6 Feb, calling on the Malaysian government to intervene.

Three years earlier, then prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob joined the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong in appealing to Singapore leaders to spare the life of a mentally disabled Malaysian who was sentenced to death for a drug offence.

The groups said Pannir’s case is riddled with violations of international human rights laws, adding that the circumstances of the offence as well as his background were ignored as the death penalty for drugs was a mandatory sentence.

Ravi, who described the news of the execution notice as "devastating", represented Pannir in 2020 amid a revelation that prison authorities had passed confidential information about 13 inmates to the Attorney General's Chambers.

"Several of these letters involved privileged communications between the inmates’ and their lawyers. The Court of Appeal ruled that the AGC and the SPS had acted unlawfully by, respectively, requesting and disclosing the inmates’ correspondence. This has certainly undermined the administration of the death penaly in Singapore and the breach is egregious under international law especially when it involved interference with solicitor and client’s privileged information," he said.

Pannir was 26 years old when he was arrested in 2014 after being found in possession of 51.84g of heroin. He was convicted three years later.

During his time in Changi Prison, he had written two songs, joining hands with popular local names in fighting against the death penalty.

Ravi said the judge found that Pannir acted as a "courier" to import the drugs, adding that the prosecution failed to mention Pannir's co-operation with the authorities, which led to the judge imposing the mandatory death penalty.

"The death penalty for drug related offences and its mandatory imposition violate international human rights law and standards," he added.

"Please help sign the petition to the Malaysian government to intervene in the matter."