PETALING JAYA: Thirty-eight new death sentences were imposed from January to December last year, a sharp rise from 16 in 2022, according to a report by Amnesty International.
According to the NGO’s latest global death penalty report, 18 were imposed before legislative amendments abolishing the mandatory death penalty took effect in July last year.
The report also noted another 20 death sentences imposed from July 4 until December last year. Of the total, 20 were for drug-related offences while 18 were for murder.
Reiterating that the death penalty is a violation of human rights, Amnesty International Malaysia (AI-Malaysia) said it was concerning that the death penalty was being given for drug-related offences.
“The continued sentencing to death for drug-related offences in Malaysia is unlawful under international law and standards, and disproportionately affects those from more disadvantaged backgrounds,” AI-Malaysia executive director Katrina Jorene Maliamauv said in a statement.
However, AI-Malaysia praised Malaysia for the resentencing process established last year, which grants the Federal Court temporary jurisdiction to review mandatory death sentences.
The Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023 came into effect on July 4 after it was passed by Parliament earlier that year, with several laws amended to remove the mandatory death penalty.
The act instead stipulates a jail sentence of a minimum of 30 years and maximum of 40 years, with a minimum 12 strokes of the rotan where applicable.
Based on a separate report by Amnesty International on the first six months of judicial sentencing discretion, the death penalty was imposed in 44% of High Court cases, but dropped to 21% and 25% in the Court of Appeal and Federal Court respectively.
In March, the government said no decision had been made on lifting the moratorium on executions, but did not confirm if it would be extended until the death penalty is fully abolished.
“We welcome the government’s confirmation that the moratorium on executions remains in place for now, but as long as people remain on death row, the risk of this moratorium being lifted cannot be underestimated,” said Maliamauv.
“We cannot afford to take one step forward and two steps back by resuming executions in Malaysia.”
Meanwhile, AI-Malaysia noted that 2023 saw the highest number of executions recorded globally in almost a decade, with China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the US topping the list.
“We recorded a total of 1,153 executions globally in 2023. This harrowing figure not only marks a 31% increase from the previous year, but is also the highest figure that we have recorded since 2015,” said Maliamauv.
She added that the global trend remained in favour of abolishing the death penalty.
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