The government must stop dragging its feet in amending the death penalty law, following the recent announcement that a review of capital punishment in Malaysia has been completed.
Anti-death penalty groups have urged for prompt reform, saying that proposed changes to capital punishment sentences were overdue.
“The attorney-general has said he is not objecting (to reform of mandatory death sentences) last November. (Minister in Prime Minister’s Department) Nancy Shukri has already said she will table the amendments in March 2016. The study was commissioned quite some time ago.
“The government should table the proposed amendments speedily. Delay in amending the law is ‘torturous’ for those still under the death sentence by reason of the existence of the mandatory death penalty provisions in law,” Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) coordinator Charles Hector told Malaysiakini.
Meanwhile, regional grouping Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (Adpan) cited Malaysia’s response at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report in front of UN member countries in late 2013.
“The Malaysian government has, time and again, announced that this study was underway, in response to the UPR review, as well as in response to calls by NGOs for it to abolish the death penalty,” said Adpan executive member Ngeow Chow Ying. Read more