The first court in Singapore sentenced to death online

A man has been sentenced to death in Singapore through the Zoom app on charges of drug trafficking. This is the first case of a criminal sentenced to death from a distance in the country.

According to the Reuters news agency, documents from the Singapore Supreme Court said Punithan Genasan, a 37-year-old Malaysian national, had received a death sentence for trafficking in heroin in 2011. The death sentence was made through an app Zoom on June 15 in the context of Singapore is implementing a blockade to limit the spread of COVID-19 when the country has a high incidence of diseases in Asia.

'To ensure safety in the proceedings, the trial of Punithan Genasan was conducted via an online video calling application. This is the first criminal case in which a death sentence has been pronounced from afar in Singapore, 'a spokesman for the Supreme Court of Singapore said.

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Punithan's lawyer, Peter Fernando, said his client had received the judge's verdict via a Zoom call and was considering appealing.

While some groups have criticized the use of Zoom for sentencing, lawyer Fernando said he did not object to it because it was just a verdict by the judge and his client could still hear it clearly.

California-based Zoom technology company has yet to receive any feedback through its representatives in Singapore.

In the context of the COVID-19 epidemic, many trials in Singapore were postponed during a blockade in early April and lasted until June 1. A number of necessary trials were held from afar.

Singapore applies a zero tolerance policy for drug trafficking offenses. The country hanged hundreds of people, including dozens of foreigners, for drug-related crimes for decades.