Death was mandatory for 11 serious crimes, while now it will be at the discretion of the court, which can impose instead corporal punishment or up to 40 years of imprisonment. The new legislation has passed the lower house, and is expected to be approved by the upper house and get royal assent. The death sentence was under moratorium since in 2018; more than 1,300 inmates could be spared.
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of Malaysia's parliament, has abolished mandatory death penalty and life in prison for certain crimes.
The legislation will now go to the Dewan Negara, the upper house, for approval, which experts except, before it gets royal assent.
If passed, the new laws would allow more than 1,300 inmates on death row to apply for a review of their case within 90 days.
The country has had a moratorium on executions since 2018, when the authorities first announced their intention to abolish capital punishment, but they then backed down following the pressure from certain parties.
Under the laws adopted today, courts will be able to impose other penalties, including corporal punishment and sentences of up to 40 years.
Capital punishment is applicable in 34 offences, including 11 that are hitherto mandatory, such as drug trafficking, murder and terrorism.
“The death penalty has not brought about the results it was intended to bring,” said Deputy Law Minister Ramkarpal Singh speaking in parliament.
For Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch's deputy Asia director, Monday’s vote an “important step forward for Malaysia”.
In his view, “Malaysia should show regional leadership by encouraging other governments in ASEAN to re-think their continued use of the death penalty”.
One of the countries that needs to rethink is Singapore, which executed 11 people last year for drug-related crimes.
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s ruling military junta reintroduced capital punishment last year before executing four pro-democracy activists.
According to official data, Malaysia hanged 1,318 prisoners between 1992 and 2023.