4-7-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia will no longer implement the death penalty for a number of serious offenses as of Tuesday. The Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023 was signed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Law and Institutional Reform Azalina Othman Said and gazetted on June 30. The statement on the Malaysia Federal Legislation website said the date of implementation is set for July 4.
The offenses that will no longer carry the mandatory death penalty include drug trafficking, murder, treason, and kidnapping. Previously, judges were required to apply the mandatory death penalty as punishment for these crimes.
Under the new law, judges will have the discretion to impose alternative penalties, such as a new alternative jail term of 30 to 40 years, for cases that would have previously required the mandatory death sentence.
Malaysia has enforced a moratorium on executions since 2018. However, with legislation carrying the mandatory death penalty remaining in effect, courts have been bound to continue sentencing defendants to death, despite no executions being carried out since 2017.
