SINGAPORE ¨C A man has been sentenced to death in Singapore via a Zoom video-call for his role in a drug deal, the city-state¡¯s first case where capital punishment has been delivered remotely.

Punithan Genasan, a 37-year-old Malaysian, received the sentence for his role in a 2011 heroin transaction on Friday, court documents showed, with the country under lockdown to try and curb one of the highest coronavirus rates in Asia.

¡°For the safety of all involved in the proceedings, the hearing for Public Prosecutor v Punithan A/L Genasan was conducted by video-conferencing,¡± a spokesperson for Singapore¡¯s Supreme Court said in response to Reuters¡¯ questions, citing restrictions imposed to minimize virus spread.

It was the first criminal case where a death sentence was pronounced by remote hearing in Singapore, the spokesperson added.

Genasan¡¯s lawyer, Peter Fernando, said his client received the judge¡¯s verdict on a Zoom call and is considering an appeal.

While rights groups have criticized the use of Zoom in capital cases, Fernando said he did not object to the use of video-conferencing for Friday¡¯s call since it was only to receive the judge¡¯s verdict, which could be heard clearly, and no other legal arguments were presented.

California-based tech firm Zoom did not immediately respond to a request for comment made via its representatives in Singapore. The Attorney General¡¯s Chambers, the public prosecutor, referred Reuters¡¯ questions to the Supreme Court.

Many court hearings in Singapore have been adjourned during a lockdown period that started in early April and is due to run until June 1, while cases deemed essential have been held remotely.

Singapore has a zero-tolerance policy for illegal drugs and has hanged hundreds of people ¡ª including dozens of foreigners ¡ª for narcotics offenses over past decades, rights groups say.

¡°Singapore¡¯s use of the death penalty is inherently cruel and inhumane, and the use of remote technology like Zoom to sentence a man to death makes it even more so,¡± said Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch¡¯s Asia division. HRW has also criticized a similar case in Nigeria where a death sentence was delivered via Zoom.