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Malaysia Will abolish the mandatory death penalty, the government said on Friday, a move cautiously welcomed by rights groups as a rare progressive move on the issue for the region.
Malaysia’s Law Minister Wan Junaidy Tuanku Jaffer said in a statement that the mandatory death penalty for serious crimes would be replaced with “alternative punishment” at the discretion of the courts.
“This reflects the transparency of the country’s leadership in reforming the criminal justice system, reflecting the government’s emphasis on ensuring that the rights of all parties are protected and guaranteed.”
Relevant laws will be amended, the statement said, adding that further research will be conducted on alternative sentences for many crimes punishable by death, including drug offenses.
many like this Neighbors in Southeast AsiaMalaysia has notoriously strict drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers.
The country announced a moratorium on executions in 2018, but death penalty laws remained in place and courts were required to impose mandatory death sentences on convicted drug traffickers. Terrorist acts, murder, and rape that resulted in death still require a mandatory capital punishment.
Friday’s decision comes three years after human rights campaigners criticized the government for making a U-turn on an earlier resolution to abolish the death penalty altogether.
Friday’s move was welcomed by rights groups who said it was an “important step” for the country and the wider region.
Phil said, “Malaysia’s public announcement that it will abolish the mandatory death penalty is an important step – especially when one considers that the death penalty trends in neighboring countries such as Singapore, Myanmar and Vietnam are in the exact opposite direction.” How are you going?” said Phil. Robertson, Asia Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch.
According to a recent Amnesty International report, no one was executed in Malaysia throughout 2021 global performance,
“Until October 12th” [2021]As many as 1,359 people were sentenced to death, with 850 of those sentenced to death being final and pardons appealed and 925 convicted of drug-related offences,” the report said. Of the 1,359 people sentenced to death, 526 were foreigners.
However, the death penalty is increasing in other parts of Southeast Asia, such as Myanmar, Vietnam and Singapore, which recently executed An intellectually disabled prisoner from Malaysia despite global condemnation.
This week, Myanmar announced scheduled executions for two men accused of “involvement in terrorist acts”, which would mark first judicial execution in the country in the decades following the military coup.
While he welcomed Malaysia’s move as a sign of progress, Human Rights Watch’s Robertson said the government needed to follow up on its statement with action.
He said, “We need Malaysia to pass genuine legislative amendments to implement this pledge as we have gone down this road before, in which successive Malaysian governments promise too much on human rights, but ultimately too little. gives,” he said.
“The Malaysian government … knows that the international community will take this as a sign of the country moving forward, but hopefully, they really mean it this time and once and for all to abolish the mandatory death penalty.” Let’s move on quickly.”