Death Penalty News

The Singaporean government hanged Pannir Selvam this month, the 10th convict to be executed in 2025 for nonviolent narcotics violations. When I met Angelia Pranthaman and her brother Joshua in Singapore two years ago, they were still cheerful and upbeat. They had a couple of hours to kill before their bus back to Malaysia, a long journey they undertook as often as they could to visit their brother Pannir Selvam. Growing up in a Christian, Indian-Malaysian family, Pannir's five brothers and sisters remember him as a playful, naughty boy who was always getting into trouble, but also a talented musician who played drums and guitar at their local church.

Kim* is a young professional who started using cannabis when family life became messy. Things improved, but her drug habit stuck - and by then, her social circle was primarily made up of people who also used. With a reliable local supplier of weed, Kim’s friends asked her if she would get some for them. “That’s what I did,” Kim says. “I never marked up the price in any way, because this was friendship... It’s like, I’m helping you to purchase something we both use anyway.”