Current:Home > NewsMalaysia to end all mandatory death sentences as capital punishment fades in Southeast Asia-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Malaysia to end all mandatory death sentences as capital punishment fades in Southeast Asia
View Date:2024-12-23 15:15:19
Kuala Lumpur — Malaysia's parliament passed a bill Monday to remove mandatory death sentences, with rights groups welcoming the vote as an "important step" that could have a knock-on effect elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Convictions for several offenses, including murder and drug trafficking, previously came with automatic death penalties, giving judges no leeway.
The bill does not scrap death sentences, but grants judges the option to instead impose lengthy prison sentences of between 30 to 40 years under certain conditions.
Speaking before the lower house of Malaysia's parliament, Deputy Law Minister Ramkarpal Singh said: "We cannot arbitrarily ignore the existence of the inherent right to life of every individual."
Malaysia has had a moratorium on executions since 2018, but courts have continued to send inmates to death row.
The reform will still have to clear the senate, but is widely expected to pass without major opposition.
- Florida Senate OKs easier path to imposing death penalty
Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson called Monday's vote an "important step forward for Malaysia," and said he hoped it would increase pressure on other Southeast Asian nations to follow suit.
"This is an important breakthrough that will cause some serious conversations in the halls of upcoming ASEAN meetings," he told AFP, referring to the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc.
"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."
Last year, Singapore, a prosperous city-state, hung 11 people, all of them for drug offenses.
Myanmar's junta has also resumed using death sentences after a decades-long pause.
Cambodia and the Philippines are the only ASEAN members to have fully abolished capital punishment.
While Malaysia's vote stopped short of ending capital punishment, Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network executive coordinator Dobby Chew welcomed the vote as a "good way forward."
"We have data that shows that the death penalty doesn't change anything," he told AFP.
- In:
- Drug Trafficking
- Death Penalty
- Capital Punishment
- Murder
- Malaysia
- Asia
veryGood! (5248)
Related
- The Cowboys, claiming to be 'all in' prior to Dak Prescott's injury, are in a rare spot: Irrelevance
- Top Democrat Schumer calls for new elections in Israel, saying Netanyahu has ‘lost his way’
- Actor Pierce Brosnan pleads guilty to walking in Yellowstone park thermal area, must pay $1,500
- Trump and his lawyers make two arguments in court to get classified documents case dismissed
- When does 'Dune: Prophecy' come out? Release date, cast, where to watch prequel series
- Trump and his lawyers make two arguments in court to get classified documents case dismissed
- 'Love is Blind' reunion spills all the tea: Here's who secretly dated and who left the set
- Trump and his lawyers make two arguments in court to get classified documents case dismissed
- Ready-to-eat meat, poultry recalled over listeria risk: See list of affected products
- Kitchen and Living Room Spring Decor Ideas That Aren’t Just Boring Florals
Ranking
- World War II veteran reflects on life as he turns 100
- Spilling The Swift Tea: Sign up for the Taylor Swift newsletter
- Massachusetts investigators pursue six 8th graders who created a mock slave auction on Snapchat
- Regina King Details Her Grief Journey After Son Ian's Death
- Why Outer Banks Fans Think Costars Rudy Pankow and Madison Bailey Used Stunt Doubles Amid Rumored Rift
- Deion Sanders' unique recruiting style at Colorado: Zero home visits since hiring in 2022
- What happens if you eat mold? Get to know the risks, according to a doctor
- Maryland Senate nearing vote on $63B budget legislation for next fiscal year
Recommendation
-
Sofia Richie Reveals 5-Month-Old Daughter Eloise Has a Real Phone
-
What is a 'flat white'? Today's Google Doodle celebrates the coffee beverage
-
*NSYNC Reunites for Surprise Performance at Los Angeles Concert
-
Want to coach your alma mater in women's college basketball? That'll be $10 million
-
NFL playoff picture Week 10: Lions stay out in front of loaded NFC field
-
'All in'? Why Dallas Cowboys' quiet free agency doesn't diminish Jerry Jones' bold claim
-
Former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says he’s putting together investor group to buy TikTok
-
Estranged wife gives Gilgo Beach slaying suspect ‘the benefit of the doubt,’ visits him in jail