PETALING JAYA: The government has been urged to release a report by the Special Committee to Review Alternative Sentences to the Mandatory Death Penalty and recommendations it made.
The study was conducted by the Special Committee appointed by former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, the late Datuk Liew Vui Keong (pix) and the report was submitted to the previous Government.
In making this call, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) today said in 2020, the Malaysian Government was among 120 UN Member States, which voted in support of the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) resolution regarding the moratorium on the use of the death penalty during the 75th session of the UNGA.
“It is important to highlight that, the resolution recommended that states should guarantee the right to a fair trial, and to limit the imposition of the death penalty to the most serious crimes, pending the abolition of the death penalty,” Suhakam said in a statement.
“It is Suhakam’s view that the recommendations and transitionary measures for current death row prisoners, should be made public, thereby allowing for legislators, policy makers and the society to undertake the needful to expedite the abolishment of the death penalty in Malaysia.
“Further, Suhakam encourages the initiative announced by the government in 2020, to set up a Law Reform Commission to study existing laws as well as sentencing procedures and if found to be outdated or archaic, to recommend for the necessary amendments or repeals and thereby enabling Malaysia to be in line with international human rights standards.”
It reiterated its call for the total abolition of the death penalty in the country in conjunction with the World Day Against the Death Penalty which is commemorated on Oct 10 annually.
