Govt To Form Task Force To Review Death Penalty Policy, Direction - Azalina

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- The government will establish a task force under the Criminal Law Reform Committee (CLRC) to conduct a comprehensive review of the country’s death penalty policy and direction.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the decision to form the task force was made by the government on July 9.

“This review will be carried out comprehensively using an evidence-based approach, involving all stakeholders, including the families of death row inmates and victims’ families.

“The government is committed to examining the matter thoroughly before making any final decision,” she said in a written reply uploaded on the Parliament website today.

She was responding to a question from Syerleena Abdul Rashid (PH–Bukit Bendera) on the government’s direction towards the complete abolition of the death penalty and whether the existing moratorium on executions would be maintained in line with Malaysia’s support for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution.

Azalina said the establishment of the task force followed suggestions made by stakeholders during several engagement sessions held in April this year, which called for a more in-depth study as there were still prisoners awaiting execution.

She said the engagement session, which involved government agencies, legal bodies, non-governmental organisations and civil society organisations, was held to gather preliminary views on the policy direction, including implementation, legal and human rights aspects of the complete abolition of the death penalty.

According to her, reform measures concerning the death penalty had been initiated since 2018 through its abolition and the enforcement of a moratorium, during which appeals for pardon by inmates on death row were still permitted in accordance with existing legal provisions.

“After the Death Penalty and Life Imprisonment Review Act 2023 (Act 847) was gazetted, a total of 906 inmates were identified as eligible for sentence review and as of October 2024, the Federal Court had commuted the sentences of 863 prisoners.

“However, 49 inmates remain on death row and this number is expected to increase if a comprehensive policy solution is not formulated,” she said.

Regarding the moratorium on executions, Azalina said it remained in force, in line with Malaysia’s stance in supporting the UNGA resolution on the matter.

--BERNAMA