Convicted Australian drug trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van has been hanged at dawn at Singapore's Changi Prison at 6am local time (9am AEDT).
He was led to the gallows in a hood, but was not believed to be shackled in accordance with his final wish.
His execution was to be witnessed by prison officers and medical staff.
Nguyen's mother Kim and twin brother Khoa, as well as his lawyers Lex Lasry QC and Julian McMahon were at the prison but were not allowed to witness the execution.
Mr Lasry said although Nguyen had accepted his fate, he was concerned about the wellbeing of his family and friends.
"The courage that he's showing runs in the family", Mr Lasry told the Nine Network's Today this morning.
"For all her fragility, his mother is showing enormous courage in the face of probably the greatest adversity a mother could ever have to face."
Mr Lasry said although Kim Nguyen was distraught, she had accepted her son's fate and will deal with it "with courage and fortitude".
Yesterday, the 25-year-old former salesman was photographed posing in different outfits, and the pictures were handed to his mother as final keepsakes.
Special permission was granted to allow the family to hold hands during the visit. A request allow them to hug each other was refused because, according to Singaporean authorities, "such encounters can be traumatic and can destabilise the prisoner and their family".
Nguyen was convicted last year of importing almost 400g of heroin into Singapore in December 2002.
He faced the gallows after all appeals for his clemency, led by Prime Minister John Howard, were rebuffed. He is the first Australian to be executed in 12 years. The most recent was Michael McAuliffe, who was hanged in Malaysia in 1993 on heroin charges.
About 11am local time (2pm AEDT) a hearse will collect his body.
Family, friends and legal team, together with staff from the Australian High Commission, are expected to hold a commemoration service at a church in the city-state in the early afternoon.
Candlelight vigils were held around the country to mark the execution.
At Melbourne's St Ignatius Catholic Church, where Nguyen and his brother once went to school, the bell rang out 25 times, once for each year of Nguyen's life.
He was led to the gallows in a hood, but was not believed to be shackled in accordance with his final wish.
His execution was to be witnessed by prison officers and medical staff.
Nguyen's mother Kim and twin brother Khoa, as well as his lawyers Lex Lasry QC and Julian McMahon were at the prison but were not allowed to witness the execution.
Mr Lasry said although Nguyen had accepted his fate, he was concerned about the wellbeing of his family and friends.
"The courage that he's showing runs in the family", Mr Lasry told the Nine Network's Today this morning.
"For all her fragility, his mother is showing enormous courage in the face of probably the greatest adversity a mother could ever have to face."
Mr Lasry said although Kim Nguyen was distraught, she had accepted her son's fate and will deal with it "with courage and fortitude".
Yesterday, the 25-year-old former salesman was photographed posing in different outfits, and the pictures were handed to his mother as final keepsakes.
Special permission was granted to allow the family to hold hands during the visit. A request allow them to hug each other was refused because, according to Singaporean authorities, "such encounters can be traumatic and can destabilise the prisoner and their family".
Nguyen was convicted last year of importing almost 400g of heroin into Singapore in December 2002.
He faced the gallows after all appeals for his clemency, led by Prime Minister John Howard, were rebuffed. He is the first Australian to be executed in 12 years. The most recent was Michael McAuliffe, who was hanged in Malaysia in 1993 on heroin charges.
About 11am local time (2pm AEDT) a hearse will collect his body.
Family, friends and legal team, together with staff from the Australian High Commission, are expected to hold a commemoration service at a church in the city-state in the early afternoon.
Candlelight vigils were held around the country to mark the execution.
At Melbourne's St Ignatius Catholic Church, where Nguyen and his brother once went to school, the bell rang out 25 times, once for each year of Nguyen's life.
