Malaysia has decided to jettison the death penalty which was introduced by the British when the country was part of the empire, and replace it with other types of punishment, Law Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said on Friday.
The minister said that the government would carry out a study to replace death sentences in all 34 offences, including the 12 carrying the mandatory death penalty such as drug-trafficking and murder, with other provisions.
“The government will also study the feasibility of the direction of the criminal justice system in the country, such as establishing a pre-sentencing procedure, setting up a Sentencing Council, developing Sentencing Guidelines, establishing a Law Commission, prison reform and imposing sentences based on restorative justice,” the minister said in a statement.
Tuanku Jaafar said the cabinet decision showed that the government considered it a priority to ensure that "the rights of all parties are protected and guaranteed".
The decision to abolish capital punishment completely came four years after Malaysia imposed a moratorium on executions.
According to government records, a total of 1,359 people are at present on death row in Malaysia; 67 percent are related to drug-trafficking.
According to an Amnesty International report, 44 percent of the total convicts facing capital punishment are foreign nationals, primarily from Nigeria.
The reports further noted that 469 people had been executed in Malaysia since the south-east Asian country gained independence in 1957.