Malaysia’s government has come to an agreement to abolish the mandatory death penalty, with the sentencing being left to the discretion of their courts.
Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Parliament and Law, released a statement on 10 June, outlining the decision of the government.
He said that a decision was reached after a report presented to the Cabinet about the substitute sentences in place of their mandatory death penalty.
The recommendations in the report by the Special Committee on Alternative Sentences on the Death Penalty were then accepted by the government in principle.
Wan Junaidi also confirmed that the Cabinet has agreed on looking into the proposed alternative sentences for 11 of the country’s offences which carry the mandatory death penalty.
The Malaysian government will also look into the direction of their criminal justice system and its feasibility, like the pre-sentencing procedures, reform of their prisons and “restorative justice” for sentences.