KUALA LUMPUR: Before Covid-19 brought the world to a halt, Angelia Pranthaman and her family would travel to Singapore every Friday to visit her brother Pannir, who has been on death row since 2017.
But the virus outbreak led to the closure of the Malaysia-Singapore border, and the family had to settle for a monthly 10-minute phone call.
“The whole family would gather at my sister’s house every Sunday, huddled around the phone, waiting for the call at 2pm,” Angelia said at a forum organised by an Asian network against the death penalty.
Prison authorities in Changi, Singapore, later increased the duration of the phone call to 30 minutes a week at the family’s request.
Not being able to physically see Pannir remained difficult for the family.
“He would always put on a smiley face when we came to visit, which made the long tiring journey to and from Singapore worthwhile,” Angelia said.
“Although we could only imagine his facial expression during the phone calls, at least we had the opportunity to hear his voice.”
Prison visits in Singapore resumed earlier this year, replacing the phone calls Angelia and her family had grown accustomed to.
“Sometimes I find myself still staring at the clock at 2pm because I’m sad that we now have to face reality again,” she said.
Pannir had been sentenced to death for trafficking in 51g of heroin in 2017. He was to be executed in May 2019 – but a stay of execution was obtained just a day before his scheduled execution.
The reprieve came after Pannir’s lawyers sought a judicial review over an alleged breach of privileged communication between death row inmates and their lawyers.
However, Pannir’s application was dismissed by the Singapore Court of Appeal in November, and a fresh execution date is expected to be set.
Malaysia and Singapore are among the few countries in the world where the death penalty has not been abolished. - FMT
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.