The government of Malaysia intended to abolish the mandatory death penalty as a respond to their death penalty alternative study report in the cabinet meeting on June 8, 2022.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Parliament and Law, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, stated that Malaysia will alter the death penalty with alternative penalty based on the court decision.
There were 11 crimes bringing to death penalty, including terorism, murder, drug trade, abduction, and possession of firearms. The government will also evaluate the penalty for other 22 crimes.
The attempt to abolish death penalty showed the seriousness of the government to ensure all rights of all parties were guaranteed and protected.
The year 2018 was the beginning of the plan to abolish death penalty in the era of The Alliance of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) which still implemented morarotioum of execution until recent time.
More than 1,300 prisoners have been sentenced to death until now and most of them are drug cases. The United Nations stated that death penalty should be applied to a very serious crime.
The Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) welcomed Malaysia’s intention to abolish death penalty because death penalty was unfair and omit the discretion of the judge to impose a sentence based on the situation of each individual perpetrator. However, Wan Junaidi has not declared when the government will apply the alternative penalty.
