In late March, a man sentenced to death for drug trafficking got denied the final appeal of a man sentenced to death. Following a vigorous campaign by his lawyers, who guaranteed the trial violated international laws as the defendant has intellectual disabilities. The ruling ended all legal avenues to stop his execution.

Yesterday, Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, 34, was hung despite many unions and countries labeling the action as ‘inhumane.’ The Maylasian got caught smuggling at least 42 grams (1.48 oz) of heroin into Singapore. Not once did Dharmalingams’ lawyers deny the charge. They wanted a lesser conviction. Unfortunately, Singapore has one of the world’s strictest narcotic laws.

Candlelit vigils were held on Monday to silently and beautifully detest the harsh laws thrust against Dharmalingam, whose lawyers said he had an IQ of 69 while pleading for an appeal. 

Singapore has faced immense backlash following its contentedness with the result. Singapore spoke out late Wednesday night, supporting the execution earlier in the day. But Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau said his actions were “a deliberate, purposeful and calculated decision” and repeated court findings that “he knew what he was doing.

This case leads to a particular type of a grey area, which forces a judge or jury to instead only abide by the law but also abide by personal morals and also think with one’s heart, something that is often viewed as a weakness, can also be seen as a strength. Groups such as Amnesty International, a group of the United Nations, and the European Union have requested that Singapore impose a moratorium on the death penalty.

Singapore’s government says the death penalty is a deterrent against drug trafficking. In a separate statement, the Attorney General’s Chambers said that Nagaenthran was given a fair trial and had “exhausted his rights of appeal and almost every other recourse under the law over some 11 years.”