KUALA LUMPUR: The proposal for the total abolition of the death penalty will undergo further detailed study starting January next year, says M. Kulasegaran.
The Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department stated that the government was in the process of establishing a Policy and Direction Review Working Group on the Death Penalty in Malaysia, which would collaborate with the Malaysian Law Reform Committee (CLRC).
"The study is expected to begin in January 2026 and is planned to run for a period of four months.
"This period may be extended by the government if necessary to ensure that the study is comprehensive," he said in reply to a supplementary question from Ram Karpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor) during Question Time on Thursday (Nov 13).
Ram Karpal had asked the government to state whether it has any plans for a total abolition of the death penalty aside from murder cases in the near future, and whether appropriate studies would be conducted for this purpose.
Kulasegaran said the working group would include all stakeholders from those in the justice system, including representatives from the government, legal bodies, academic experts in criminal law, as well as non-governmental organisations.
"The main objective of this study is to ensure that any government decision regarding the status of the death penalty in the country is made based on solid justification through an evidence-based approach and after hearing the views and arguments of all relevant stakeholders," he explained.
According to the deputy minister, the study would include a doctrinal review of the death penalty.
It would include sessions with national and international criminal law experts, families of victims, families of death row inmates and other relevant stakeholders.
Regarding statistics on death row inmates, based on the data from the Prisons Department, there are a total of 97 individuals who have been sentenced to death as of Nov 11 2025, says Kulasegaran.
This figure comprises 38 individuals awaiting appeal in the Court of Appeal, nine individuals awaiting appeal in the Federal Court, and 50 individuals who have exhausted all levels of appeal and may submit a Pardon application.
