Malaysia’s parliament passes legal reforms to remove mandatory death penalty

Malaysia has moved one step closer to abolishing the death penalty on Monday after the Lower House of the parliament approved legal amendments to abandon the capital punishment for certain crimes.

The bill will now have to be approved by the Upper House, before it is signed into a law by the king. According to the proposed amendments, whipping and imprisonment between 30 and 40 years will replace execution.

According to Deputy Law Minister Ramkarpal Singh: “The abolition of the mandatory death penalty aims to respect the right to life for every individual in Malaysia while ensuring justice for all parties”.