In the one-minute 20-second clip on Twitter, Branson and Fry called for Singapore president Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to grant Nagaenthran clemency.

“Only a presidential pardon can stop his execution and I’m joining many around the world in asking you to use your powers to grant him clemency,” Branson said.

The founder of the Virgin Group added that Singapore had always led from the front when it involved the rights of people with disabilities and championing their inclusion in society.

“No one with a disability should be treated this way. Madam president, prime minister, with the eyes of the world on Singapore, Nagaenthran’s life rests in your hands,” he said.

Fry said the Malaysian did not deserve to die and his impending execution would cast a dark shadow on many of those commitments on the rights of the disabled.

“That’s a great risk to your country’s reputation in the world, including its reputation in the world of business,” he warned.

The veteran British comedian noted that Nagaenthran had been living with an intellectual disability, as defined under international human rights law.

“His mental state has worsened during his imprisonment for more than a decade. In the name of compassion and mercy, grant him clemency,” Fry said.

The 34-year-old, from Perak, is said to have an IQ of 69 – a level recognised as a disability. He has been on death row in Singapore since 2010 for smuggling 42.7gm of heroin into the city state a year earlier.

A gathering of support for Nagaenthran will be held outside the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur at 4pm tomorrow.