Press Statement
S’pore’s hanging of Prabu Pathmanathan at dawn today was a lawless act which disregarded due process
26 October 2018
It has been confirmed that Malaysian citizen Prabu N Pathmanathan was hanged at Changi prison at dawn today for alleged drug trafficking. The family has claimed the body and will be cremating the remains today.
The execution was an unlawful, and brutal act, carried out in breach of due process and in defiance of the appeals made by neighbouring Malaysia.
We understand that Malaysian cabinet ministers had spoken directly to Singapore’s leaders in a bid to halt the execution, to no avail.
Late last night, the Singapore President’s Office delivered a letter to Prabu’s family in response to their clemency petition. The letter stated that ‘the clemency process has concluded’ and ‘we are unable to accede to your request’.
This rejection is unlawful under the Singapore constitution, as there is no bar to the filing of a fresh clemency petition. It is a flagrant breach of due process for the Singapore President to reject the family’s clemency petition without even considering it. It was thus a lawless act.
Why the unholy haste?
Less than a week’s notice was given to Prabu and his family that he would be executed. Was this an underhand method by Singapore authorities to execute secretly and prevent representations being made or court applications being filed ?
It is disturbing that the Singapore government is prepared to disregard basic processes in their rush to execute this young Malaysian.
Prabu’s parents and siblings are devastated by the execution of their son and brother.
They wish to thank the Malaysian government, and everyone on both sides of the causeway for their support and prayers over the past few difficult days.
Released by:
N Surendran
Lawyer for Prabu Pathmanathan’s family & Adviser of Lawyers for Liberty