Amnesty International has condemned the hasty execution of Sarawakian Kho Jabing by Singapore, saying it is a disgrace.

"It is disgraceful that Kho's was executed, particularly with such indecent haste, after his final appeal was denied this morning," said Amnesty International Southeast Asia and Pacific regional office deputy director Josef Benedict.

Kho was executed within hours after his final appeal was dismissed by Singapore's Court of Appeal.

He was sentenced to death for murder.

“Clemency should have been granted, more so given the uncertainty and divided opinion surrounding Kho's fate over the past six years," said Benedict.

He added that Singapore must decide if it wants to adhere to international standard of human rights. 

"Singapore is at a crossroads.

"It must decide whether it wants to join most of the world by protecting human rights and ridding itself of the death penalty, or remain among the minority of countries that insist on the implementation of this cruel and inhumane punishment," he said.

Kho's family had lobbied for his sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment but without success.

Doubts over Kho’s mental state

Meanwhile, human rights group Suaram also joined the chorus of condemnation.

“Despite the unanswered concerns regarding the impartiality of the appeal proceeding, the government of Singapore have refused to answer the public plea for clemency and unconscionably carried out the sentence at 3.30pm after the dismissal of Kho Jabing’s appeal on the morning of May 20, 2016,” said Suaram executive director D Sevan.

Sevan said the execution was depiste concerns about Kho’s right to fair trial.

“The doubt as to whether Kho Jabing the prosecution had adequately proved the necessary mens rea (mental state) for Kho Jabing’s act to tantamount to murder expressed by some of the presiding judges during the trial should have been taken into account during the sentencing.

“Despite the existing doubts, the death sentence was still imposed on Kho Jabing.

“The failure to account for this clearly violates the recognised international norms where capital punishment can only be imposed when the crime meets the threshold of ‘most serious crimes’,” he said.

Sevan said Singapore’s refusal to stay the execution despite these issues was “callous and unconscionable”.

“The death penalty does not provide justice and in this case it has caused a great injustice to the family of the deceased.

“This execution also marks Singapore departure from the norms of developed states where the use of capital punishment has been gradually phased out,” he said.

He also urged governments to impose a moratorium on capital punishments.