Malaysia to Scrap Mandatory Death Penalty

On Monday, Lawmakers in Malaysia voted to scrap the country's mandatory death penalty and life sentences.

Previously, some crimes such as murder and drug trafficking were automatically accompanied by death sentences, which meant that judges had little room for backtracking.

Under the new provisions, judges will have the option of imposing alternative sentences such as 30 to 40 years in prison or whipping.

"The death penalty has not brought the results it was intended to bring," Deputy Law Minister Ramkarpal Singh said during a parliamentary debate.

Over 1,300 people facing the death penalty or life in prison will be able to seek a review of sentences under the new rules.

Although the reforms stopped short of ending capital punishment entirely, Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network executive coordinator Dobby Chew, said the new policy was a "good way forward".

"For the most part, we are on the right track for Malaysia — it's a reform that has been a long time coming," he said.

Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson also described the move as "an important step forward for Malaysia".

"This is an important breakthrough that will cause some serious conversations in the halls of upcoming ASEAN meetings," he told the AFP news agency.

"Malaysia should show regional leadership by encouraging other governments in ASEAN to re-think their continued use of the death penalty, starting with Singapore which has recently gone on a post-COVID execution spree."