Branson says no to death penalty TV debate

Sir Richard Branson has turned down an invitation from Singapore's authorities to instrumentality portion successful a unrecorded tv statement astir the country's attack towards drugs and the decease penalty.

He was invited to instrumentality portion successful a treatment with the metropolis state's location affairs curate K Shanmugam.

The British billionaire has said helium opposed Singapore's decease punishment for crimes specified arsenic cause trafficking.

He spoke retired implicit the execution of cause trafficker Nagaenthran Dharmalingam.

In an unfastened missive posted connected his blog, Sir Richard said tv debates are "always astatine hazard of prioritising personalities implicit issues - cannot bash the complexity of the decease punishment immoderate service".

He besides called for the land nation's authorities to prosecute with section voices successful "constructive, lasting dialog involving aggregate stakeholders, and a existent committedness to transparency and evidence" to assistance it find a mode abolish the decease penalty.

Earlier this period Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs rebutted an earlier blog of Sir Richard's successful which the Virgin Group laminitis said the authorities "seems bent connected executing scores of low-level cause smugglers, mostly members of poor, disadvantaged minorities".

He went connected to accidental Malaysian Nagaenthran Dharmalingam had been hanged successful Singapore earlier successful the twelvemonth for cause trafficking contempt having "a well-documented intelligence disability".

In 2009, Nagaenthran was caught crossing into Singapore from Malaysia with 43g (1.5oz) heroin strapped to his near thigh.

Under Singapore's cause laws - which are among the toughest successful the satellite - those caught carrying much than 15g of heroin are taxable to the decease penalty.

During his trial, the 34-year-old initially said helium was coerced into carrying the drugs, but aboriginal said helium had committed the offence due to the fact that helium needed money.

The tribunal said his archetypal defence was "fabricated". He was yet sentenced to decease by hanging.

Nagaenthran's lawsuit was highly arguable arsenic helium was assessed by a aesculapian adept to person an IQ of 69 - a level that indicates an intelligence disability. But a tribunal recovered that helium was not intellectually disabled.

Nagaenthran's execution triggered a question of protests arsenic radical spoke retired astir what they saw arsenic the injustice of his decease sentence.

After Sir Richard's disapproval Singapore's authorities invited him to instrumentality portion successful a unrecorded tv statement with Mr Shanmugam and offered to wage his question and edifice costs.

The authorities has said the decease punishment is simply a wide deterrent that has helped forestall large cause cartels from becoming established successful the South East Asian country.