PUTRAJAYA: The findings of the special committee that is looking at alternatives to the mandatory death sentence, will be presented to the Cabinet in the first quarter of this year, said the committee in a statement issued yesterday.
The committee said it was committed towards ensuring that its findings are based on holistic and effective engagements with relevant stakeholders.
It was taking account of the views of all parties including ministries, departments, agencies, non-governmental organisations, Islamic religious representatives, representatives of other religions, families of death row prisoners, death row prisoners, families of victims and the general public, the committee said.
In its statement, the committee explained that it had engaged with the families of victims in a session yesterday, held at the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department here, with the aim of giving the families the opportunity to share their views on the government’s proposal to abolish the mandatory death sentence.
Stressing in its statement that it did not hold the engagement yesterday just for the sake of doing so, the committee said it was “committed towards focusing on every viewpoint and input received throughout our engagement sessions in order to ensure that actual issues are analysed for further action by the government”.
The committee also clarified that the abolition of the mandatory death sentence did not mean that the death sentence was done away with completely, as the courts still have the discretion to mete out such a sentence if the facts of a case warrant it.
The committee was established by the government on Aug 29 last year with the aim of undertaking a thorough study to replace the mandatory death sentence with sentencing that was more appropriate, contingent on the discretion of the courts. — Bernama
