Singapore suspends disabled Malaysian’s execution amid pleas

By ANNABELLE LIANG
Associated Press

SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore’s High Court has suspended the scheduled execution of a Malaysian man believed to have a mental disability until an appeal is heard, amid pleas from the international community and rights groups. The 33-year-old Malaysian man was due to be executed by hanging on Wednesday for trying to smuggle less than 43 grams (1.5 ounces) of heroin into the country. The court agreed to stay his execution pending an appeal on Tuesday. The convicted man’s lawyer says that executing a person with a mental disability violates Singapore’s Constitution. Malaysia’s prime minister, representatives of the European Union and international figures including Richard Branson have urged that the man’s execution to be stopped on humanitarian grounds.