Pannir Selvam Pranthaman had spent the last eight years of his life in Changi Prison on death row, convicted in 2017 for acting as a heroin carrier.
During that time, through poetry collections and novels brought in by his family, he gained a love and appreciation of poetry and literature. Inspired to write his own poems, he documented not just his time in prison, but also life and the human condition.
With just a bare ink refill, in a cramped cell without a table or chair, writing instead on top of a pile of old court documents, he composed the 120 poems that are now collected in Death Row Literature.
On the 29th of September, Gerakbudaya launched Pannir Selvam Pranthaman’s poetry collection to a sombre crowd.
A week before the event, Singapore announced that they would proceed with the execution of K Datchinamurthy, a Malaysian convicted of smuggling illegal drugs into the country.
The execution would take place on the 25th. The day of, just some time after midnight, it was announced that Datchinamurthy’s execution had been halted. But at 3PM, his family was suddenly told to go collect his body from the Changi Prison.
As a part of the book launch, four speakers gathered on the stage not just to discuss the book, bu t its broader themes and implications across politics, arts, morality, and activism.
Martin Vengadesan, former news editor and strategic communications consultant to the Ministry of Communications; the Artistic Director of The Instant Cafe Theatre Company, Jo Kukathas; and Dr. Sheena Baharudin, Malaysian spoken-word poet and the Assistant Professor in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia.
Rounding out the list was Angelia Pranatham, a death penalty abolition advocate and the younger sister of Pannir. She, along with her family, were directly responsible for bringing Pannir’s book from within the walls of Changi Prison to life.
As Martin asked the panelists questions, Angelia read off a script in her hand, her voice steady but strained, talking about her brother and the challenges he’s faced behind bars. She was pausing between sentences, as if her train of thought disappeared and re-appeared.
But as Angelia talked more and more about her brother, the tension in the air released. They talked about how he had persevered within his precarious situation, and instead of despairing, found hope within art. The more that Pannir’s story was told, the more inspired we all felt.
During the Q&A session, Angelia felt more comfortable answering questions from the audience. Someone asked whether or not Pannir had held his book in his hand, and Angelia lit up as she told us the story of how she had to beg the prison guards not to tear up pages of the book (as they often did when it contained controversial materials) and proudly revealed to us that yes, Pannir did hold his book in his hand.
Holding it yourself, it’s hard not to feel the weight of it. It is a beautiful collection of poetry that demonstrates human resilience, a testament to choosing hope over despair, and how art can be powerful activism.
But it was also a reminder of a ticking time bomb. With the recent execution of K Datchinamurthy, Pannir would be next in line.
Even so, organisations, both international and local, made it their mission to not just help Pannir and those like him, but abolish the death penalty for good. Transformative Justice Collective and ADPAN (Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network) are operating in Singapore and Malaysia respectively for this cause, and Angelia and her siblings have also started their own NGO, Sebaran Kasih, aimed at helping families of death row prisoners here in Malaysia.
Pannir’s story has not just inspired, but spurred a movement for a cause that has received far less attention than it deserves. In his book, the poem titled Art, reads a single, powerful line: ‘Art gives humans their heart back.’
Pannir Selvam Pranthaman was executed on the morning of the 8th of October, 2025. He is the second Malaysian to be executed this year, with two still remaining on death row. He was 38 years old.
Darren Tio is a KL-based writer who grew up in Pontianak, Indonesia, and has a degree in creative writing.
This review was generated by Artsee.net as part of its Young Arts Writers’ Sandbox Programme.
Purchase Death Row Literature from Gerakbudaya.
Images from Pannir’s Candlelight Vigil at Singapore High Commission on 7th October 2025.
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