Malaysia takes bold step to end mandatory death penalty and reform criminal justice system

Malaysia's parliament has voted to end mandatory capital punishment, a move that could save the lives of over 1,300 death row inmates. The country had already placed a moratorium on executions since 2018. The new law now eliminates the death penalty as the automatic sentence for 11 serious crimes, such as murder and terrorism, while judges will have discretion to impose capital punishment in rare cases. For the most severe crimes, life imprisonment or corporal punishment like caning will be favored.

The country's deputy law minister argued that capital punishment had not been a successful deterrent to crime and was irreversible. The new laws will apply retroactively, allowing death row inmates 90 days to seek a review of their sentences. This legislative process began last year under the former Malaysian government, and two bills were introduced last week to reform the laws. Malaysia is now among the few countries that have taken such a progressive step towards reforming the criminal justice system, which could set an example for other nations still practicing capital punishment.