Singapore schedules hanging of disabled Malaysian next week

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Rights groups say a Malaysian man with a mental disability is to be hanged next week in Singapore after losing a final appeal, but his Malaysian lawyer has mounted a new bid to halt the execution. Nagaenthran Dharmalingam has been on death row since 2010 for attempting to smuggle less than 43 grams (1.5 ounces) of heroin into Singapore. His scheduled hanging last November sparked widespread criticism because he is believed to be mentally disabled with an IQ of 69 — a level internationally recognized as an intellectual disability. A Singapore court ruled that Nagaenthran knew what he was doing by violating Singapore’s harsh anti-drug laws.