UN Expert Urges Singapore To Halt Planned Execution Of Malaysian National For Drug Offence

7 October 2025

Singapore must immediately halt the planned execution of Malaysian national Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, scheduled for tomorrow, 8 October, and commute his death sentence, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz said today.

“Drug-related offences do not meet the ‘most serious crimes’ threshold under international human rights law, which is strictly limited to crimes of intentional killing,” the Special Rapporteur said. “The mandatory imposition of the death penalty is per se arbitrary. Carrying out this execution would therefore amount to an arbitrary deprivation of life.”

Pannir Selvam (38) was convicted by the High Court on 2 May 2017 of drug related offenses and sentenced to the mandatory death penalty. His appeal was dismissed on 9 February 2018, and his clemency petition was rejected. He was granted stays of execution in May 2019 and February 2025; his post-appeal application for a further stay was dismissed on 5 September 2025.

“If carried out, this would be the second execution of a Malaysian national in less than two weeks,” Tidball-Binz said.

The Special Rapporteur reiterated that there was no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than other punishments. “Perpetuating executions for drug offences neither protects public health nor public safety,” he said.

UN experts have previously raised concerns with Singapore regarding Mr. Pannir Selvam’s case, and about the misuse of Drugs Act and its incompatibility with the obligation to protect the right to life under article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the convention against torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

“I acknowledge the Government responses to these interventions and reiterate my concerns regarding the “most serious crimes” threshold, the use of mandatory death sentences, and fair-trial and clemency safeguards,” Tidball-Binz said.

“In view of the urgency of the matter, and of the irreversibility of the punishment of the death penalty, I call upon all relevant authorities to ensure Mr. Pannir Selvam Pranthaman is not executed,” the expert said, warning that his execution would violate applicable international human rights norms and standards, and constitute an arbitrary execution.

Mr. Morris Tidball-Binz is the Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial summary or arbitrary executions

Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent fromany government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.

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